'Spotlight' priest hangs himself in jail after fresh paedophilia allegations

A priest convicted of sex abuse has hanged himself in jail following further allegations of paedophilia.

Father Bonifacio Buzzi, 57, was found dead in his prison cell in Minas Gerais, in the north of Brazil, the state government said in a statement.

According to reports, he had hanged himself with a sheet.

Buzzi was facing allegations that he had molested two boys aged nine and 13, and was arrested on Friday after criminal complaints were made.

He had previously been convicted of the abuse of a 10-year-old boy and was jailed from 2007 to 2015.

Buzzi was cited among the paedophilia cases listed at the end of Spotlight, the Oscar-winning 2015 film based on the Boston Globe newspaper's investigation of sexual abuses by Catholic priests and efforts by the Boston Archdiocese to cover them up.

Allegations against Buzzi first emerged in the 1990s in his home state of Santa Catarina. In 1995 he was convicted of molesting two boys in his parish near Mariana after their parents accused him of performing oral sex on their children.

Buzzi got a reduced sentence and the Catholic Church obtained a court order allowing him to serve it out at the home of the local archbishop.

Additional reporting by Reuters.

related articles
Spotlight star Michael Keaton defends the Catholic faith

Spotlight star Michael Keaton defends the Catholic faith

Spotlight: a film that the whole church cannot – and must not – ignore
Spotlight: a film that the whole church cannot – and must not – ignore

Spotlight: a film that the whole church cannot – and must not – ignore

Pope\'s commission on sex abuse sits down to watch Spotlight
Pope's commission on sex abuse sits down to watch Spotlight

Pope's commission on sex abuse sits down to watch Spotlight

Every Catholic bishop should watch \'Spotlight\', says former Vatican sex abuse prosecutor
Every Catholic bishop should watch 'Spotlight', says former Vatican sex abuse prosecutor

Every Catholic bishop should watch 'Spotlight', says former Vatican sex abuse prosecutor

News
Young men in the US overtake women on religious commitment, new data shows
Young men in the US overtake women on religious commitment, new data shows

Young men in the US are now more likely than young women to say religion plays a central role in their lives, marking a notable shift in long-standing patterns of religious belief, according to new analysis from Gallup.

IDF says 'appropriate measures' will be taken against soldier who desecrated Jesus statue
IDF says 'appropriate measures' will be taken against soldier who desecrated Jesus statue

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said “appropriate measures” will be taken against any of its troops involved in the desecration of a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.

The warning of Judges
The warning of Judges

The book of Judges offers sobering lessons for the present day but will they be heeded?

Polling expert: No 'public consent' for assisted suicide
Polling expert: No 'public consent' for assisted suicide

People are concerned about the safeguards of the assisted suicide bill.