Czech Catholic priest gets 5-year jail term for rape, abuse

A Roman Catholic priest in the Czech Republic has been sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of rape and sexual abuse, a court official says.

Erik Tvrdon pleaded not guilty, but he was convicted of raping four women and sexually abusing a minor, Jan Dolezal, the spokesman for the Havlickuv Brod county court, said on Thursday.

The development comes less than two weeks after victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Roman Catholic priests called on the Pope to permit civilian justice for clerical pedophiles and their benefactors.

On February 16, the victims from across the Americas issued an open letter to the pontiff, telling him that "words are not enough."

Over the past few years, the Roman Catholic Church has been facing numerous scandals of child sexual abuse by priests all over the globe.

The Pope has promised a zero tolerance policy for child sex abuse by clerics. However, rights groups representing victims believe that not enough has been done.

Around 850 priests accused of sexual abuse of minors have been defrocked between 2004 and 2013, according to the Vatican.

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