BRAZILIAN authorities overnight charged a 74-year-old Catholic priest with pedophilia after eight children in his church choir accused him of sexual abuse.

Father Jose Afonso De is being prosecuted for allegedly assaulting children aged 12 to 16, Sao Paulo state's public prosecutor's office said.

He has denied the allegations but has been suspended by his diocese.

The indictment adds another smear to the Catholic Church's reputation worldwide as it struggles with a series of pedophile accusations against its priests in the Americas and Europe.

Keyser Soze wrote:What's really depressing is that as more & more of these stories come out, I am becoming numb to them. We're getting so used to this that we almost have no reaction any more.