It seems that allegations of child abuse have become rampant in the West. This time, it is Brazil where an 83 year old priest is facing charges of molesting alter boys, as young as 12 years old. This Tuesday, the priest was moved from prison and is now under house arrest. His lawyer claims that house arrest is better option for a man who is physically unable to escape.

Anyway, Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa, became the center of attention when SBT television network aired a video showing the priest and a boy in objectionable condition. Subsequently, authorities launched a full scale investigation which, after one month, has culminated in the arrest of Barbosa. Interestingly, his lawyer has accused two alter boys of blackmailing the Priest, last year. According to the defense lawyer, these boys extorted $23,000 from Barbosa as a compensation for not releasing the sex video of another victim.

Two other priests have also been indicted in this case. Bishop Valerio Breda of the Penedo archdiocese confirmed that all three men have been suspended from Church and an internal inquiry is taking place. Last week, a similar case was reported in Chile where Church authorities requested to pardon one of their former members, who was accused of sexually molesting eight minors, including a girl.