By
the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
The Professional Migration
Police detained a Catholic
priest surnamed Morales -
Salazar, at the border post in Paso Canoas*
on the border between Costa Rica
and Panama at 6:34 a.m. on
Thursday. A warrant had been
issued for his arrest on
suspicion of sexual abuse of a
minor.
Police report that they suspect
that Father Morales-Salazar
intended to flee to Panama. When
he presented his passport at the
border, the Interpol alert
system showed that there was an
arrest warrant out for him and
he was detained.
Agents of Judicial Investigation
Organization took the priest
from Paso Canoas to the Tobias Bolaños
Airport in Pavas* by air.
He was then taken to the cells
of the Public Ministry, where he
was interviewed by judicial
agents. In the next few hours, a
judge is expected to dictate the
pre-trial measures against him.
The accusation against Morales -
Salazar, was made on March 15 at
a prosecutor’s office by a young
man surnamed Arguedas, who
stated that he had suffered
abuse by the priest for two
years during his
adolescence.
The position of the Catholic
Church regarding the arrest of
the priest was given by
spokesman, Jeison Granados:
"The complaint was registered
here (referring to the offices
of the Catholic Church
headquarters in San Jose) by the
complainant, his parents, his
brother, and some witnesses. It
was he and his parent's
decision, for personal reasons,
they were not going to put a
criminal complaint."
Regarding the priest’s apparent
attempt to flee the country,
Granados said "he will receive a
warning from the Bishop for not
having reported his departure
from the country. All the
priests when they leave the
country have to notify the
bishop at an office, we did not
know he was going to leave the
country."
Referring to the young man's
complaint, Granados confirmed
that, "The canonical
denunciation against the priest
that was presented in May 2013,
was presented in the
Metropolitan Curia. The process
in the Archdiocese of San José
was carried out and the case was
sent to the Vatican."
Apparently, the Vatican had
responded to the complaint,
however, the Costa Rican
Catholic Church returned the
case for a review. "The Vatican
sent a prior resolution, but the
Costa Rican ecclesiastical
tribunal requested a new
revision," said Granados.
With respect to the activities
of the priest, who continued to
serve mass, Granados said that
Morales - Salazar did not
exercise any ministerial
activities. He had been limited
to "celebrating mass in a
monastery of nuns in Guadalupe."
"We trust in the judicial
processes of Costa Rica and we
trust that this process will be
resolved," said Granados.
This is the second arrest in
this month, of a priest accused
of sexual abuse against a minor.
As A.M. Costa Rica reported on
March 1, agents of the
Prosecutor's Office of San José
detained a Catholic priest
surnamed Guevara-Fonseca 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
also interviewed by the judicial
agents and a judge ruled
pre-trial measures which
included surrendering his
passport, not leaving the
country, not approaching any of
the people related to the case,
and signing in at the Public
Ministry twice a month.
Father Guevara-Fonseca’s case
was registered as file #
19-000569-0175-PE, on nine
complaints of sexual abuse
against a minor.
On March 7, 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.
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Professional
Migration Police
courtesy photo
The
accusation
against Morales
- Salazar, was
made on March 15
at a
prosecutor’s
office by a
young man
surnamed
Arguedas, who
stated that he
had suffered
abuse by the
priest for two
years during his
adolescence.
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.
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 reaction
to Guevara-Fonseca’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.
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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