An Italian priest was found Wednesday with a substantial amount of drugs in his
house.
Police raided the house in central Perugia in the course of a drugs probe and found the priest with an unconcealed 500g package of cocaine and marijuana.
They placed the 43-year-old prelate in solitary confinement as prosecutors awaited a detention warrant to be authorised.
The priest's lawyer claimed his client didn't know what was in the package, which he had been keeping for "an individual he has been coaching along a spiritual path".
The priestly vow of silence made it impossible for his client to divulge the identity of the person.
The priest, whose identity was not disclosed, has done a large amount of pastoral work with street people and drug addicts, religious sources said.
Church officials said he had been suspended from his priestly duties in March, at his own request.
He was unsure "about the direction of his spiritual course," sources said.
