"The rector had allowed Martinelli to feel he was already a priest from the beginning," according to one witness, who left the pre-seminary after a month, due to what he called "an exhausting experience" because of an environment of gossip and taunts about one's physical appearance or "effeminate behaviors."
The three witnesses said that they did not have direct knowledge of sexual abuse against L.G. as described in the charges, but testified that they had seen Martinelli engage in inappropriate behaviors such as sexual advances and momentary genital touching of boys other than the alleged victim L.G.
The Pius X pre-seminary was described by the former students as an environment with "psychological pressures," where it was common to hear "homosexual jokes" and other lewd comments. Martinelli was described as having a "dominant role, very strong," and a "homosexual demeanor."
L.G. was described by one witness as "extremely credible," but a bit delicate because of a difficult family situation.
One witness testified that Martinelli and L.G. seemed to hate each other and never speak, but that Martinelli also gave L.G. and another student special favors, positing that Martinelli was motivated by fear of what they could reveal about him. This other former student was also scheduled to testify on Feb. 24 but did not present himself at the hearing.
One witness recalled having seen Martinelli touch the genitals of another student, "like an implicit request for sexual intercourse." This student refused the advance and afterward "fell out of favor" with Martinelli. He became "marginalized" and was psychologically pressured to leave the pre-seminary, which he eventually did.
This alleged victim was also scheduled to testify in the Feb. 24 hearing, but had been excused by the court for an unidentified reason.
All three witnesses spoke about knowledge on the part of superiors about inappropriate behaviors. One said that he was "very sure" that the seminary authorities were informed of the abuse accusations, that "Radice knew but did nothing," and that attempts at making complaints to him fell on deaf ears.
One witness also claimed to have sent an anonymous letter to Pope Francis two years after leaving the pre-seminary about what he had seen there and stated that L.G. had once asked him to deliver a letter to the pope for him, which he did not do because he "didn't feel like it and there was no opportunity."
Fr. Pierre Paul, a priest and the director of the Capella Giulia, a choir of St. Peter's Basilica, testified on Feb. 24, saying that L.G. had confided in him.
"He never explicitly told me what was wrong but it was understood that they were problems of the affective-sexual sphere," Paul said.
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Paul made a report to the Commission for the Protection of Minors, part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, in 2017. He said Wednesday that he had wanted to make a report earlier but had been stopped by L.G.
Thursday morning, the court of the Vatican City State's again convened for the questioning of the Bishop Oscar Cantoni of Como, who was installed in the diocese in 2016 and ordained Martinelli a priest in 2017.
Bishop Diego Coletti, the bishop emeritus of Como who led the diocese from 2006 to 2016, presented a medical note to be excused from questioning and was not present.
Cantoni testified on Feb. 25 that before ordaining Martinelli to the priesthood, he had spoken with the rector of the Pius X pre-seminary and the rector of the Pontifical French Seminary in Rome, which Martinelli attended for his priestly studies.
Both, according to Cantoni, had told him that Martinelli "had made a positive path" and was ready for ordination.
"All the people I had asked for an opinion on Martinelli, who had had anything to do with him after the [transitional] diaconate," said there had been nothing wrong in his behavior, Cantoni said.