-- Rome -- Witnesses contradicted themselves and each other on Wednesday, when they gave evidence in a trial dealing with charges of abuse and coverup at the Saint Pius X minor seminary -- a college for boys aged 12 to 18 years, who are considering the priesthood and serve at papal events in St. Peter’s Basilica -- in the Vatican.
Two priests are in the dock at Vatican City’s criminal court: Fr. Gabriele Martinelli, 28, and Fr. Enrico Radice, 71. Martinelli, a former pupil at Saint Pius X ordained in 2017, is accused of abusing a junior pupil — L.G. — when Martinelli was a senior boy at the school. Radice, former rector of the institution, is accused of covering up and enabling Martinelli’s abusive behavior.
