Girl's mother and former pastor testify in Passaic priest's attempted rape trial, by Kibret Markos, Record (June 21, 2016)

Girl's mother and former pastor testify in Passaic priest's attempted rape trial

A Passaic woman testified on Tuesday that her 14-year-old daughter told her a priest at a Catholic church in her neighborhood sat her on his lap and touched her inappropriately three years ago.

The mother, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter’s identity, testified in Superior Court in Paterson that the family lived across the street from the St. Mary’s Assumption Church on Market Street, where The Rev. Jose Lopez was a priest.

The mother said her daughter started going to the church at a time when she was depressed and that she felt better once she started going regularly and met Lopez frequently.

She said Lopez was like a family member who was often invited to meals or other occasions at their home.

In 2013, however, Lopez told her that “he went too far” with her daughter but assured her that all he did was place her on his lap and hug and kiss her, she said. Lopez also told her that the police were involved and asked her not to say anything bad about him if investigators asked her about him, she said.

Answering questions from Lisa Squitieri, a Passaic County chief assistant prosecutor, the mother said that she then confronted her daughter about the alleged incident, and the girl eventually told her that Lopez touched her in a sexual manner.

Another witness who testified Tuesday also implicated Lopez in the allegations of attempted rape, sexual touching, luring and child endangerment – charges that could put Lopez behind bars for up to 10 years if he is convicted.

The witness, Edgar Ruiz, said he was the pastor at the church at the time, although he has since left the church and moved to Florida. Ruiz said that around May 2013, the girl told him she needed to speak with him and asked him to conduct the Mass at her Sweet 15 party.

The girl said she didn’t want Lopez to do the ceremony “because he tried to rape me,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz said he then spoke to Lopez, who told him that he sat the girl on his lap inside his private suite at the church and kissed her. Ruiz said he was shocked that Lopez took the girl into his private suite alone.

Ruiz later reported the incident to the diocese, and authorities investigated Lopez before arresting him.

Defense attorney James Porfido pointed out during cross examination that the girl’s mother was aware that the girl frequently met and exchanged text messages with Lopez. The mother also said during cross-examination that Lopez had hugged the girl in front of the mother, and that the mother didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

Porfido also raised doubts about the accuracy of Ruiz’s testimony, pointing out that the alleged incident took place in January 2013, but the conversation between Ruiz and the girl – in which the girl allegedly accused Lopez of trying to rape her – took place several months later in May 2013.

Authorities said Lopez also worked as an assistant at the St. Nicholas Church in Passaic. He was relieved of his position soon after the allegations, but he has since maintained his innocence and insisted that he never touched the girl in a sexual manner.

Lopez, 37, was in the courtroom Tuesday monitoring the trial through a Spanish interpreter. The trial is scheduled to continue Wednesday before Judge Sohail Mohammed.