A Vatican court cleared on Wednesday two priests from charges of sexual abuse in a youth seminary between 2006 and 2012.
Father Gabriele Martinelli was accused of forcing L.G. to have sex, while both of them were minors at the altar.
The court deduced that there had been a sexual relationship between them, but no evidence of forceful sex, the court stated.
The prosecution went for a custodial sentence of six years for Martinelli, who later became a priest.
In the court’s statement, they said, “there were significant contradictions” in L.G.’s testimony.
The trial, which started last year, was the first case of sexual abuse in the history of the Vatican.
The prosecution went for a sentence of four years for Father Enrico Radice.
The 72-year-old Radice was a rector in the church and received charges of covering up alleged abuse.
Martinelli and Radice had continually denied the allegations and accused L.G. of exacting personal vendetta.
The alleged abuse took place in the Pius X Pre-Seminary, which sheltered altar boys between 12 and 18.
The boys whom the pre-seminary houses serve Mass in St. Peter’s and the Pope, and thinking of becoming priests.
The court ruled that Martinelli is non-punishable for the events he did when he was a minor.
Moreover, there was not enough proof to convict him of sexual abuse.
Another charge of corrupting a minor against Martinelli got dropped by the statute of limitations.
Pope Francis ordered last May the closing of the Pre-Seminary and moved it to a new location outside the Vatican.
