Italian Priest Reportedly Arrested For Hooking Up With Teens Via Grindr

An Italian priest was reportedly arrested on Dec. 18 for allegedly hooking up with teenage boys he met using the gay dating app Grindr, according to Gay Star News, which cites local media reports.

Police accused Antonello Tropea, 44, of having sex with the teens in his car and at his rectory in Calabria, a region in southern Italy, which forms the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula.

Authorities grew suspicious of the priest after police spotted Tropea in his car with a teenager in a secluded area. Tropea said he was a physical education teacher but the boy later told police the priest paid him $21 for oral sex, according to GSN.

Police launched a two-month investigation into Tropea, which involved wiretaps. The intel investigators revealed Bishop Francesco Milito was aware of Tropea's alleged activities but looked the other way. Instead of reporting the priest to the police, Milito told Tropea to "continue as before" and "avoid speaking to the police."

The newspaper La Repubblica reports Tropea used the name "Nicola" on Grindr, which happens to be the same name of the patron saint of his parish in Messignadi, located in southern Italy.

Tropea faces a number of charges, including soliciting a minor for sex, GSN reports.