SSPX brother sentenced for sexual offending against boy

Herbert Simo Rustila, 38, also known as Brother Vincent, appeared in the Whanganui District Court in February. He pleaded guilty to a representative charge of sexual conduct with the boy.

The victim was 12 when the offending began. Rustilia interacted with the boy between 2018 and 2022.

Judge Ajit Swaran Singh said a sentence of 16 months’ imprisonment was first considered. However, after taking into account mitigating factors, Rustila was sentenced to 200 hours of community work.

Judge Singh credited Rustila for his guilty plea, his previous good character, his letter of apology to the victim and offer of emotional harm reparation of $1500.

He said the offending was on the lower end of the spectrum, so Rustila was not to be placed on the Child Sex Offenders Register.

He would be subjected to two years of intensive supervision with special conditions, which included electronic monitoring conditions, not having contact with people under 16 unless in the presence of people approved by his probation officer, not entering exclusion zones where children may congregate and residing at a specific address in Whanganui.

The Crown had stated that Rustila premeditated his acts and abused his position of trust and authority. The victim suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of the abuse, the Crown noted.

The SSPX was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate who was a sharp critic of many of the changes brought about by Vatican II. According to a Catholic expert, priests of the Society today “celebrate Mass without the proper permissions, creating a canonically irregular situation”.

FULL STORY

SSPX brother guilty of sexual offending against boy (By Federico Magrin/The Post – subscription required)

What is the SSPX? A look at the controversial traditionalist Catholic group | Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) | Schism, Beliefs, Vatican, & Facts | Britannica (Britannica)