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Mayor: Spanish priest arrested with pornography

Officials say police have arrested a Spanish priest on suspicion of holding vast quantities of child pornography.
/ Source: The Associated Press

Officials say police have arrested a Spanish priest on suspicion of holding vast quantities of child pornography.

Luisa Oliver, the mayor of Vilafames, says the rural, eastern town of 2,200 people is shocked at the news that their 52-year-old parish priest has been arrested after police found 21,000 computer files of child pornography in the sacristy of his church.

On Friday a judge ordered the unidentified priest to return to the court in 15 days. The regional prosecutor's office said it will appeal the decision to release him, and seek charges and a prison term against the cleric.

Police said the files took up 600 gigabytes of memory, more than will fit into most domestic computers. The church said it has suspended the priest.