MIAMI (FL)
Miami Herald
BY JAY WEAVER
jweaver@herald.com
A Catholic priest who attracted thousands of worshipers to his Pompano Beach church and his cable TV show retired abruptly after a former Mariel boatlift refugee accused him of sexual abuse in the early 1980s -- allegations corroborated by a fellow priest.
The Rev. Ricardo Castellanos, a 35-year priest who had been on administrative leave as pastor of San Isidro Church since spring 2002, submitted his retirement letter to the Archdiocese of Miami last week, and it was accepted immediately, church spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta said Tuesday.
She added the archdiocese is investigating the allegations, has reported them to the Miami-Dade state attorney's office and offered psychological counseling to the accuser.
Posted by kshaw at February 16, 2005 04:01 AM