Rape, indecency charges see priest suspended

THE Roman Catholic Church has suspended Father Hans-Peter Nagel from service pending Police investigations into alleged rape and indecent assault charges.

Nagel (78) has been the parish priest at Khorixas for about 10 years. He is accused of raping three girls aged between 8 and 13 years early last year at his house and at the church hall.The priest appeared in the Khorixas Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on three charges of rape as well as two counts of indecent assault after nude pictures were discovered of one of the girls.He was released on bail of N$1 500 a day later.Archbishop Liborius Nashenda told The Namibian on Friday that he was “shocked” by the allegations but that the church would not consider taking punitive action against the priest until a court passed judgement on the accusations.Nashenda said Nagel would live at Otjiwarongo until he was re-scheduled to appear in court and that he would not be allowed to celebrate mass in public.”He is not going to function as a priest until the court of law has pronounced itself,” he said.Warrant Officer James Matengu of the Police Public Relations division said the Police had found nude pictures of one of the victims in the priest’s car some time back.The father had called the Police to dust his car for fingerprints after it was broken into at Otjiwarongo.The discovery was communicated to the Police Women and Child Protection Unit, which pursued investigations into the matter.Nashenda said the Khorixas Police had informed him nearly a month ago that they were investigating Nagel.The priest was then immediately removed from the parish and had been living at the Döbra mission outside Windhoek until his arrest last week.Because of the scandal, the archbishop will visit the town over the weekend.He is accused of raping three girls aged between 8 and 13 years early last year at his house and at the church hall.The priest appeared in the Khorixas Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on three charges of rape as well as two counts of indecent assault after nude pictures were discovered of one of the girls.He was released on bail of N$1 500 a day later.Archbishop Liborius Nashenda told The Namibian on Friday that he was “shocked” by the allegations but that the church would not consider taking punitive action against the priest until a court passed judgement on the accusations.Nashenda said Nagel would live at Otjiwarongo until he was re-scheduled to appear in court and that he would not be allowed to celebrate mass in public.”He is not going to function as a priest until the court of law has pronounced itself,” he said.Warrant Officer James Matengu of the Police Public Relations division said the Police had found nude pictures of one of the victims in the priest’s car some time back.The father had called the Police to dust his car for fingerprints after it was broken into at Otjiwarongo.The discovery was communicated to the Police Women and Child Protection Unit, which pursued investigations into the matter.Nashenda said the Khorixas Police had informed him nearly a month ago that they were investigating Nagel.The priest was then immediately removed from the parish and had been living at the Döbra mission outside Windhoek until his arrest last week.Because of the scandal, the archbishop will visit the town over the weekend.