KALMAR, Sweden, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- A Swedish priest was relieved of his duties after admitting he sent a text to a teenage boy saying he wanted to have sex with him, a church official says.
The Kalmar County priest sent the message to the youth in September and was suspended by the church in November, TheLocal.se reported Saturday. The cleric had gotten to know the boy at a confirmation camp and stayed in contact afterward, the news website said.
"I hope that we end up in bed and have sex, as I am gay and you are young and good looking," the priest, whose name and denomination were not reported, wrote in the text.
The boy showed the text to his parents, who contacted the local parish and police.
"We are very sorry and upset that this has happened," the parish rector told the local newspaper Barometern. "The church must be a safe place with safe activities especially for children and young people. These things shouldn't happen, but now it has happened with us and we have to make it clear that we're not sweeping it under the carpet.
"What happened of course is completely inappropriate, this isn't acceptable in any way."
The Local said the priest apologized for the text but denies sexually molesting the boy, who is seeking 7,000 kronor ($1,000) in damages.
"I didn't mean anything by what I wrote. It was completely wrong, Barometern quoted him as saying. "A fantasy just popped into my head. I should have realized that it was wrong."
