A priest was arrested over claims he raped a woman while performing an exorcism in Portugal. Priest Humberto Gama was held in the town of Fatima in the Portuguese district of Sanrarem after being accused of attacking a 55-year-old during a ritual at his home.
The 79-year-old, who denies the claims, allegedly tied up and raped the woman when she was lying on a bed during the exorcism. She later needed hospital treatment, it has been reported. He is said to have been carrying out exorcisms at his home for 13 years. But he was kicked out of the Catholic church in the late 1990s after refusing to stop offering the service, according to local media. The priest denied the claims and has reportedly been released under the condition that he does not contact the woman. Father Gama is said to have claimed that an exorcism ‘always involves physical contact’ and says he has a ‘clear conscience’, Italian news reports said. The investigation is ongoing.
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