Chicago Tribune
September 9, 2010
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-09-08/news/ct-met-father-flores-0909-20100908_1_alejandro-flores-sexual-abuse-bishop-j-peter-sartain
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A Roman Catholic priest who pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a young west suburban boy had his ordination delayed twice over concerns by Joliet diocesan officials that he had a sexually abusive childhood and viewed male pornography, prosecutors said in court.
Alejandro Flores, who had attempted suicide in January by jumping from a church choir loft amid growing allegations about his conduct, was sentenced by a Kane County judge to a four-year prison term.
Flores, 37, a native of Bolivia, started abusing the boy over a five-year period in 2005 after befriending members of his family, who were parishioners at St. Mary Catholic Church in West Chicago. Flores was posted there as a seminarian and deacon while working toward ordination.
Assistant State's Attorney Deb Bree said Flores' crimes took place during the time church officials were deciding whether to elevate him to the priesthood.
During an internship, Flores told his supervisor that as a child he had been the victim of sexual abuse at a Bolivian orphanage. That supervisor, the Rev. Burke Masters, vocational director for the Joliet Diocese, saw Flores alone in a car with the victim in 2005 and told him it was not appropriate to be alone with young boys, according to authorities.
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