(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A Lebanese priest convicted of pedophilia in 2012 by the Vatican broke his silence on Sunday, denying all crimes and accusing the Catholic church of corruption.
“People in the church were bribed and I have proof of this,” said Mansour Labaki in an interview with the Voice of Lebanon radio station.
Labaki said he was expecting the church to give him a fair trial, but was “surprised” to learn he was not allowed to respond to the accusations.
The priest was sentenced to a “life of penitence,” after the Vatican office charged Labaki with the sexual offenses on June 19, 2013. Labaki, 74, was also banned from exercising his ecclesiastical duties and participating in media and public appearances.
According to the French magazine, “La Croix,” the investigation into Labaki’s case began in 2011 after the Vatican envoy ordered French Catholic authorities to open a probe into the priest’s alleged abuses that had taken place in France.
The complaints were first filed by the priest’s estranged niece and three French women. The report went directly from French church authorities to the Vatican, reportedly bypassing civil criminal courts.
In April 2012, the Vatican convicted Labaki of sexually abusing at least three children, as well as soliciting sex. He was sentenced to a “life of prayer,” which he has been carrying out in a monastery in Lebanon.
He said he wished the court would listen to the testimonies of people who have worked with him and several students that he “raised” who, according to him, would attest his innocence.
Labaki filed an appeal last year, but the court held up the verdict. His lawyer has since filed a lawsuit with the Lebanese judiciary against those involved in accusations against Labaki.
Labaki is the founder of a spiritual movement called Lo Tedhal, wrote several books which won 15 international book prizes, and composed several hymns.