An Italian Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Vito
Isacchi, has been forced to resign after he was
caught sleeping with a church member's wife.
The 45-year-old priest tendered his resignation
in the archdiocese of L'Aquila on Tuesday after
Corte d'Appello di L'Aquila's ruling on the
matter was made public.
Lawyers of the woman's husband have urged
the church to take further action against Father
Isacchi who they say has violated canon law
and his vow of celibacy.
The court ordered his alleged lover to pay her
estranged husband 15,000 euros for the
depression he suffered over their affair.
According to the Telegraph UK, the court gave
the ruling after a five-year trial of the priest.
Father Isacchi expressed regret over the
incident, he said he had repented for his actions
but resigned in a letter to the local archbishop,
Monsignor Giuseppe Petrocchi.
L'Aquila diocese in a statement said,
"Don Vito recognizes his moral responsibility
and asks forgiveness for the upset and suffering
caused to the religious and social community.
"In particular he has indicated he intends to
reject the payment specified by the sentence."
After the news of the scandal broke, father
Isacchi who came from the northern city of
Bergamo and was transferred from his Rome
parish to l'Aquila, 70 miles from the capital, in
2010.
The court sentence was issued a year ago and
made final six months ago but just came to
light this week.