Catholic News Service photo
THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Carlo Capella
Monsignor Carlo Capella
Carlo Alberto Capella
Ordained 1993 for the Archdiocese of Milan, Italy.
Canon lawyer.
Wanted in Canada for accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography. On 28 September 2017 Canada-wide warrant issued for his arrest. (The allegations relate to time Monsignor Capella spent in Windsor, Ontario (London Diocese) during Christmas 2016.
There are also allegations related to child porn offences in the United States. In the summer of 2017 the Vatican denied a USA State Department request to waive Monsignor Capella’s diplomatic immunity. He was ‘recalled’ to the Vatican before news of the allegations became public.
June 2018: Tried by Vatican tribunal. Guilty plea. Sentenced to 5 years in Vatican jail and €5,000 fine
____________________________
24 June 2018: Former Vatican diplomat wanted in Windsor for child pornography gets five years
23 June 2018: “Vatican court jails ex-diplomat Italian priest Carlo Alberto Capella for child porn” & related articles
11 April 2018: BLOG Sweet deal for “Mr. Wonder”
08 April 2018: “Vatican arrests ex-diplomat in child sex abuse probe” & related articles
13 October 2017: “Vatican: Canada did not seek extradition for diplomat with porn charges ” & related article
04 October 2017: Vatican vows to seek truth about diplomat in child pornography case
29 September 2017: BLOG Oh m, oh my, oh my
15 September 2017: “Holy See recalls priest from Nunciature in Washington” & related articles
___________________________
The following information is drawn from media report (M), Vatican statement (Vatican). police reports (police)
28 September 2017: Canada-wide arrest warrant issued for accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography(police) According to media coverage in Italy, Canadian police did NOT request extradition, and there is no extradtion treaty between Canada and the Holy See.
15 September 2017: according to Vatican statement, Monsignor Capella is currently living in Vatican City (Vatican) According to Cyril, Monsignor Capella is living in a hostel called the “Collegio dei Penitenzieri”, close by the Casa Santa Marta, where pope Francis has taken residence since his election. This is the same is where Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former Nuncio to the Dominican Republic, was in residence and died while awaiting trial on paedophile charges.
– investigation – subject to “investigative confidentiality” – opened by the Promoter of Justice of the Vatican Tribunal (Vatican).
– The Promoter of Justice opened an investigation(Vatican)
– Monsignor Capella was recalled to Vatican on or shortly after 21 August 2017 (Vatican)
21 August 2017: “The Department of State of the United States of America notified the Secretariat of State, through diplomatic channels, of a possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images by a member of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See accredited to Washington.” (Vatican)
According to media reports the Vatican denied a USA State Department request to waive Monsignor Capella’s diplomatic immunity (M)
February 2017: RCMP advise Windsor Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) that suspect in city of Windsor allegedly uploaded child porn using a social networking site. Investigation commenced. (Police)
24-27 December 2016: Monsignor Capella allegedly in Windsor, Ontario and allegedly uploading child pornography during the visit. It sounds as though he was visiting at a church? (Police) Which church is, at this time unknown.
Summer 2016: began to serve as one of three priest serving as diplomatic staff at the nunciature in Washington, DC. The Nuncio is Archbishop Christoph Pierre. (M)
Sometime pre summer 2016: worked on the Italy desk at the Vatican Secretariat of State (M)
2008: conferred rank of “Chaplain of His Holiness” /”Monsignor” by Pope Benedict XVI (M)
2004: entered Vatican’s corps of diplomats (M)
– served in India and Hong Kong (M)
– would have worked in the the headquarters of the Secretariat of State, Vatican City (P)
– pursued degree in Canon Law (M) (Where, I wonder? ) Apparently would have had to have attained a doctorate in Canon Law, which would have been accomplished at the Lateran University or the Gregorian University in Rome.
1993: ORDAINED for the Archdiocese of Milan Italy (M) Carlo Maria Martini, S.J. was Archbishop of Milan. Martini was appointed archbishop 29 December. In 1983 he was elevated to the post of Cardinal)
circa 1967: DOB – in Carpi, Northern Italy (M)
____________________________________
Windsor police issue arrest warrant for recalled Vatican diplomat in child porn case
Police in Windsor, Ont., said the recalled Carlo Capella diplomat allegedly uploaded child porn from a social networking site while visiting a place of worship between Dec. 24 and Dec. 27.
The Toronto Star
Fri., Sept. 29, 2017
VATICAN CITY—Police in Windsor, Ont. have issued an arrest warrant for the Vatican diplomat who was recalled from the United States in a child pornography investigation, accusing him of accessing porn over Christmas last year from a church.
Police in Windsor said Carlo Capella, 50, allegedly uploaded the child porn to a social networking site while visiting a place of worship between Dec. 24 and Dec. 27.
The Vatican recalled Capella after the U.S. State Department notified it Aug. 21 of a “possible violation of laws relating to child pornography images” by one of its diplomats in Washington.
It never identified Capella by name, but Windsor police did so in a statement announcing the arrest warrant Thursday.
The Vatican says its own prosecutor was investigating and seeking further information from the U.S.
In the statement, Windsor police accused Capella of accessing, possessing and distributing pornography. It said authorities were alerted in February that someone in Windsor had allegedly uploaded child porn using a social networking site.
They obtained records of the internet service provider and determined the dates in question.
In a statement, the Diocese of London in Ontario confirmed that it helped investigators who had suspicions of “possible violations of child pornography laws by using a computer address at a local church.”It declined further comment, citing a police request.
The Vatican hasn’t commented beyond its initial statement, or even officially identified Capella as the recalled diplomat. Several U.S. church officials have complained that the Vatican was being less than transparent about the case.
The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, urged the Holy See to be “forthcoming with more details,” a reflection of how the U.S. church still struggles with credibility problems 15 years after the sex abuse scandal erupted in the U.S.
The diplomat recall was expected to lurk in the background of an international conference in Rome planned for next week at the Pontifical Gregorian University on protecting children from online sexual exploitation, pornography and abuse.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state and Capella’s boss, is set to deliver the keynote speech Tuesday on “The Holy See and its commitment to combating sex abuse online.”
Panellists at the conference, which was organized months ago, are to include top law enforcement and academic experts in the field of child protection and cybercrimes, with an entire morning devoted to “Child Sexual Abuse Online: Who are the offenders?”
_______________________________
Updated: Man wanted on Windsor child pornography charges likely living in Italy
Windsor police believe a man wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for uploading and distributing child pornography while at church is now living in Italy.
The Windsor Star
Published on: September 28, 2017 | Last Updated: September 28, 2017 4:58 PM EDT
A high-ranking Vatican diplomat recalled from the Holy See’s Washington embassy under a cloud of suspicion is now wanted by Windsor police for allegedly uploading and distributing child pornography at a local church.
Windsor police said Thursday they have a Canada-wide warrant out for Carlo Capella, 50, on charges of accessing child pornography, possessing child pornography and distributing child pornography.
According to a bulletin issued by the Holy See press office on Sept. 15, the priest has been recalled from his post in Washington and is now living in Vatican City.
It wasn’t clear Thursday how Capella, who had been working as a diplomat in Washington, came to be at a church in Windsor.
Windsor police said they received information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in February 2017 that a person in the city had uploaded child pornography from a social networking site.
Local officers obtained a judge’s permission to look at records related to the Internet service provider address in question. From there, they determined the offences were allegedly committed between Dec. 24 and Dec. 27, 2016.
Investigators believe the man committed the offences while visiting a “place of worship” in Windsor but wouldn’t be more specific.
The Diocese of London said Thursday police told them not to talk about the case.
“The Diocese of London confirms that it was asked to, and did, assist in an investigation around suspicions involving Msgr. Capella’s possible violations of child pornography laws by using a computer address at a local church,” spokesman Nelson Couto wrote in an emailed statement. “No further comments can or will be made, as the Windsor Police Service has asked the Diocese of London not to discuss the investigation.”
Police said the suspect has since returned to his house in Italy, though they didn’t say it was in Vatican City.
Investigators don’t believe the pornography in this case involved any children in the Windsor area.
Local police said that along with Windsor and Italy, Capella also has ties to the United States.
Capella made headlines in the U.S. and Italy earlier this month when the Vatican yanked him out of his position in the Holy See’s Washington Embassy.
The New York Times and Washington Post were among the newspapers to write stories about Capella’s removal from Washington.
The bulletin from the Holy See said it learned from the U.S. State Department on Aug. 21 about a “possible violation of laws relating to child pornography” by a member of the church’s diplomatic corps in Washington.
The statement did not refer to Capella by name. After receiving the news, the Holy See recalled the priest to Vatican City. The bulletin said the Holy See’s prosecutor, called the promoter of justice of the Vatican Tribunal, has started an investigation into the U.S. allegations.
It was unknown Thursday whether the Vatican is investigating the allegations in Windsor.
Anyone with more information can call Windsor police at 519-255-6700 ext. 4896 or Crime Stoppers at 519-258-8477 (TIPS). You can also leave tips online at catchcrooks.com.
_______________________________________
A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for a high-ranking Vatican diplomat who police believe committed child pornography offences at a Windsor church during the Christmas holidays.
Monsignor Carlo Capella, 50, is wanted for accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography, according to Windsor police.
“The Diocese of London confirms that it was asked to, and did, assist in an investigation around suspicions involving Msgr. Capella’s possible violations of child pornography laws by using a computer address at a local Church,” wrote spokesperson Nelson Couto in a media release.
He added the diocese won’t be making any further comments at the request of Windsor police.
The investigation began after the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre contacted the police’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit with information a suspect in the city had allegedly uploaded child pornography to a social networking site during a visit.
The pornography is not believed to involve any Windsor-Essex children.
Priest has returned to Italy
Canadian investigators have determined Capella has returned to his residence in Italy.
A Sept. 15 article in The New York Times states a Msgr. Carlo Capella working as a diplomat for the Holy See in Washington, was brought back to the Vatican after American authorities potentially sought to charge him with possession of child pornography.
The article links to a statement from the Vatican that explains a “member of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See accredited to Washington” has been recalled.
“Having received such information from the United States government, the Secretariat of State transmitted this information to the Promoter of Justice of the Vatican Tribunal,” reads the statement. “The Promoter of Justice opened an investigation and has already commenced international collaboration to obtain elements relative to the case.”
Capella has ties to the United States, Windsor, Canada and Italy.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Windsor Police Public Information Officer at (519) 255-6700 ext. 4250.
______________________________
Vatican diplomat implicated in child porn case has served in India and Hong Kong
The Washington Post
20 September 2017
____________________________
Ontario Police Reports
Carlo Capella wanted on Canada-Wide warrant for child pornography offences
- Access Child Pornography
- Possess Child Pornography
- Distribute Child Pornography
Anyone with information is asked to contact Windsor Police Service at 519-255-6700 ext. 4896, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.catchcrooks.com.