By the A.M.
Costa Rica staff
Yesterday,
during the raid conducted by agents
of the Judicial Investigation Agency
in the Episcopal
Conference of the Catholic Church*
in San Jose, a man surnamed
Barrantes, made a public complaint
against a priest surnamed
Guevara-Fonseca for sexually abusing
him when he was a minor.
The Episcopal Conference of Costa
Rica is the permanent administrative
institution of the Catholic Church.
It is a college composed of all the
bishops of the dioceses of Costa
Rica in communion with the Roman
Pontiff and under his authority.
According to Mr. Barrantes’
statement, he went to the Episcopal
Conference yesterday to register a
canonical denunciation Father
Guevara-Fonseca for sexually abusing
him when he was a child.
The facts that Mr. Barrantes
reported would have occurred between
1992 and 1993 when he was 12 years
old. At that time, he was an altar
boy and assisted Father
Guevara-Fonseca in the Church of
Sabanilla in Montes de Oca*,
in San José.
"I had the courage to make this
complaint when I found out that
there is an active case at this time
presented by another person against
that priest," said Mr. Barrantes.
When asked if he had presented the
accusation to the Judicial
Investigation Organization, Mr.
Barrantes said that, "I cannot make
a complaint in the courts because
unfortunately, my case has
prescribed (lapsed in time)."
Regarding his report, Barrantes said
that "what happened to me was many
years ago and I don't know how many
more victims there will be. I feel
part of the guilt because of having
not done something before and
(there) might be another person had
been also abused."
Mr. Barrantes arrival at the
Conference at the same time a raid
was in progress was accidental. Mr.
Barrantes said "Seeing this
situation, even though it is going
to delay the process of my
declaration, gives me hopes that the
police want to do something about it
and discover many cases that are
accumulating dust there" (referring
to other complaints that were made
against the Catholic Church years
ago).
Relating the facts in his case, Mr.
Barrantes said that, "this happened
many years ago. I lost my innocence.
I told my parents, but the problem
was that he (referring to Father
Guevara-Fonseca) was a friend of my
family and they didn't do anything.
So I also thought that I was just a
child and I could not do anything
about it. "
Regarding the possibility that other
children who went to the same church
could have been abused, Mr.
Barrantes said, "I lost contact with
all of them, even with a friend who
also worked at altar server like me.
I know some things also happened to
him, but I do not know if he would
be another victim."
The raids made at the Episcopal
Conference were the joint work of
the Prosecutor's
Office of the Second Judicial
Circuit* of San José and the
Deputy Prosecutor of Gender. They
were ordered based on two
independent investigations that are
being pursued against priests, one
surnamed Víquez-Lizano and the other
surnamed Guevara-Fonseca, both
suspected of alleged sexual crimes
with minors.
Officials report that the raids
occurred as ordered at the
headquarters of the Ecclesiastical
Court, and the Metropolitan Curia,
in San José.
The raids resulted in the search and
seizure of files that could contain
relevant documentary evidence in the
cases which are in the preparatory
phase of the investigation.
The first case was registered as
file #18-000854-0994-PE, in which a
priest surnamed Víquez-Lizano was
accused, for the alleged crime of
qualified violation.
The second case was registered as
file #19-000569-0175-PE, against a
priest surnamed Guevara-Fonseca, who
is being investigated on nine
complaints as a suspect of the
alleged crime of sexual abuse
against a minor.
The new case of Mr. Barrantes, made
public yesterday, was also against
Father Guevara-Fonseca. When the
accusation is formalized, that
priest will have two accusations
against him.
According to the prosecutor, Article
#295 of the Criminal Code
establishes the privacy of the
proceedings in the preparatory
stage, so that the material
confiscated from the Catholic Church
will be classified as private until
the prosecutor presents the case to
a judge.
In the case of Father
Guevara-Fonseca, as A.M. Costa Rica
reported on March 1, agents of the
Prosecutor's Office of San José
detained him outside his house in
the province of Heredia*. He
was taken to the cells of the Public
Ministry in Calle Blancos*
where the investigative process is
being carried out. He was
interviewed by the agents and is
waiting for a judge to set his
pre-trial measures.
The case file was opened on
Monday, Feb. 25, when a formal
complaint was made against
Guevara-Fonseca.
In reaction to Guevara’s arrest,
Jeison Granados, spokesman for the
Archdiocese of San José, said: "He
is still a priest, he is in a
canonical process.” The
Metropolitan Curia (referring to the
Costa Rican Catholic Church leaders)
was to say that they have total
confidence in the Costa Rican
judicial system and are sure that
the system will find the facts of
the matter.
However, leaders of the Catholic
Church removed him as a priest as
the response of the complaints
about alleged sexual abuse of a
child.
"The Archdiocese of San José,
informed (the public) that
presbyter Guevara-Fonseca, who was
the priest of the Church of Santo
Domingo in Heredia, has been
removed from that parish. This
decision responds to a
precautionary measure due to the
fact that there is a Canonic
complaint against him for alleged
inappropriate behavior in relation
to a minor," said the Church's
statement.
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A.M. Costa
Rica wire services
photo
Raids
were ordered based on
two independent
investigations that
are being pursued
against priests, one
surnamed Víquez-Lizano
and the other surnamed
Guevara-Fonseca, both
suspected of alleged
sexual crimes with
minors.
Also
on February 23rd, the
administration of the
church of Santo
Domingo de Heredia*
informed to the
congregation the
departure of the priest
with the following
statement:
"Dear brothers and
sisters: Father Guevara
is no longer in a priest
of Santo Domingo, he has
left to attend personal
responsibilities. He is
grateful for the
fraternal experience of
the Domingüeña community
(referring to the
members of the Church of
Santo Domingo). He asks
to be excused for the
abrupt departure, but it
could not be otherwise.
He appreciates
everyone's
understanding. And he
manifests the blessing
that was the community
for him, where his
health has become
broken. But with the
support of everybody
that has given to him
the courage necessary to
move forward. He says
goodbye asking us to
have him in our
prayers."
The church made the
decision to sanction the
priest after learning
about the criminal
complaint that was filed
February 25 before the
Criminal Court of
Guadalupe in San José.
In the case of Father
Víquez-Lizano, suspected
of sexual abuse of a
child, he has been
expelled from the
Clerical State.
In that case, Jason
Granados spokesman of
Costa Rican Catholic
Church, confirmed
that
Víquez-Lizano was
sentenced to the maximum
sanction imposed by the
church in cases such as
pedophilia.
Granados said that
the resolution, issued
on February 25, 2019,
reads: "Imposed to the
Reverend Víquez
Lizano, priest of the
Archdiocese of San
José, the perpetual
and expiatory sentence
of expulsion from the
Clerical State."
In the case of
now-former Father
Víquez-Lizano, nine
complaints have been
filed for alleged
sexual abuse against
minors and one
criminal complaint
about alleged
violation of a minor,
a total of ten cases
so far.
Statistics of the last
ten years, reported
Mr. Granados, show
there have been more
cases in which the
Catholic Church has
investigated priests
for complaints related
to sexual abuse.
"In eight cases, the
suspects were
sentenced with
canonical punishment.
In seven cases the
suspects have been
punished with the
resignation and
expulsion from the
Clerical State. In one
case, the suspect was
sentenced not to hold
parish offices. There
are still 8 cases
under investigation.
In one more case, the
suspect was dismissed
by the authorities in
Rome and in one case
the suspect was
dismissed right at the
investigation stage.
One last case was
closed because of the
priest dead," said
Granados.
Regarding the
position of the
Catholic Church in the
specific case of
former priest
Víquez-Lizano, Mr.
Granado said that "he
must face the case and
surrender to the
authorities."
The Vatican sentence
can be appealed. To
appeal, Víquez-Lizano
has 60 days to file.
"If in 60 days he does
not file an appeal
then that sentence
will un-appealable,"
said Granados.
According to
Granados, Catholic
Church officials could
not find Víquez-Lizano
to notify him about
the Vatican
resolution.
On Feb. 21, a judge
in the Desamparados
city court requested
an international
arrest warrant
for Víquez-Lizano,
who is charged with
the sexual abuse of
two children in 2003.
The suspect is being
investigated for the
alleged rape of two
men surnamed Rodríguez
and Venegas who were
minors in 2003.
According to the
Prosecutor's Office of
Desamparados city
court, the case was
elevated so that it
could involve an
international arrest
order with Interpol.
The press office of
the Catholic Church
confirmed that the
paperwork had already
been done at the
internal level of the
organization and that
the ex-priest had been
asked to appear before
the prosecution and
face the case.
Auxiliary bishop
Daniel Blanco, of the
Archdiocese of San
José, said, "the
Church has not put, or
will put, any obstacle
to this process. We
ask Mr. Víquez-Lizano
to surrender to the
authorities."
According to the
record of departures
of the General
Directorate of
Migration,
Víquez-Lizano left the
country on January 7,
2019.
---------------
Should
the Catholic Church
immediately report to
police all complaints
against priests for
sexual abuse or other
allegations? We would
like to know your
thoughts on this story.
Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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