A Reverend father is currently under house arrest while criminal proceedings are also ongoing against him after he raped an 11-year-old girl in a car, claiming he “thought she was at least 15 years old”.

Reports indicate that Father Paolo Glaentzer, a septuagenarian, was arrested in July for allegedly raping the minor.

The Italian man of God did not deny having sexual intercourse with the victim, but said it was “an exchange of affection” between him and the girl who he claims looks “much more mature than she was”.

READ MORE: Reverend Minister caught watching porn and snorting cocaine

It is not clear what the errant priest wanted to achieve by saying “I found out she was 11 years old…I thought she was at least 15,” because the Italian laws recognise age 16 as legal age for consent to sex.

Father Paolo Glaentzer blamed his conduct on the devil, saying he “entrusted” himself to “Jesus and Mary,” a posturing which suggests that he is not perturbed by the ongoing criminal proceedings against him.