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| Antonello Tropea: Priest or Pervert? |
In
Gioia Tauro, a poor city in Calabria, Italy catholic priest Antonello Tropea
was caught using the gay dating app Grindr for teen sex. Under investigation
for two months, police surprised him inside a car parked in a secluded area.
Tropea was with an underage boy who said Tropea paid him $21 for oral sex -- a
fee they had agreed on WhatsApp after meeting on Grindr. A police search of the
clergy house uncovered much evidence, including child porn images and message
exchanges on email and Tropea’s smartphone with the boy and other teenagers.
Also confiscated were 16g of marijuana and sex toys.
Tropea's
bishop Francesco Milito is also under investigation for allowing such behavior.
He knew about accusations against Tropea for some time but did not take any
action. According to court papers two parishioners had warned Milito of Tropea’s
deviant activity months ago. Milito dismissed the accusations as "nuns'
chatter" in a phone conversation with Tropea that was taped by police
according to the Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper. When Tropea was being investigated,
the bishop openly advised him "not to talk with Carabinieri police" about
the issue.
Tropea
was organizing dates with teens on Grindr while pretending to be a sales rep - named Nicholas after the patron saint of his parish, San Nicola di Mira. Most
of the encounters took place in Tropea’s car but he also met with some boys at
his church rectory.
Luring
minors for paid sex, buying pornography and drugs, using a phony name taken
from a saint -- would you want this priest to baptize your baby, give you
communion, or be alone with your child? Would you want bishop Milito to cover-up
for this pervert and lie to police about it? Again we see what the church
clergy does with parishioners’ money. Don’t support an organization that abuses
children – there may be another Tropea in your parish.
