Spanish priest arrested on child porn charges

SYDNEY - A 52-year-old priest has been arrested in Spain for allegedly possessing around 21,000 computer files containing child pornography, it was reported here Saturday.

The unnamed priest was arrested Wednesday after police found computer files containing pornographic images of children in his parish church of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion in Spain’s Vilafames town, The Australian reported citing the El Pais newspaper.

The 21,000 files occupied some 600 gigabytes of space in the computer.

The diocese in which the church is based said it has decided to suspend the priest from his duties.

“If the accusation is true, this is something that hurts us deeply, that we sincerely regret and that we reject unreservedly,” the diocese said in a statement.

It, however, expressed its “total readiness to clarify the facts before the courts”. At the same time, it will offer the priest “the necessary means for a fair defence”.

The priest has been released on bail, and ordered to appear before a judge every two weeks, prosecutors said.