Four civil plaintiffs in pedophile priest case

(ANSA) - Ravenna, March 9 - Four civil plaintiffs joined proceedings against a 53-year-old priest facing charges of having sex with four minors under his care at a pretrial hearing Monday.
    Father Giovanni Desio, the former parish priest of the Emilia Romagna coastal village of Casal Borsetti, was arrested in April last year.
    The civil plaintiffs are two kids with their parents, the Roman Curia, which is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, and an association that works with minors.
    The Church has suspended Desio, who is under house arrest.
    He has requested a fast-track trial, which takes far less time than regular trials but whose rulings can't be appealed.
    The next hearing is set for mid-April.