Accused Priest on the Run By Gary Tuchman CNN February 27, 2013 COOPER: All week we've been focusing, of course, on the controversy surrounding a Los Angeles cardinal, Roger Mahony's role in electing the next Pope. He's going to take part on the conclave. He's been stripped of public duties after thousands of pages, thousands of pages of internal church documents revealed his role as Archbishop of Los Angeles in shielding sexual predators from justice. Tonight in a special egregious name from those files whose now allegedly, with the church's help, a fugitive from justice. The nauseating story from 360's Gary Tuchman. GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first time Cardinal Roger Mahony learned that Fr. Nicolas Aguilar Rivera is when he helped bring him to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The reason? The archbishop of Mexico City wanted Aguilar gone because of what he referred to Aguilar's, quote, "homosexual problem," which is often a euphemism for pedophilia. Those are the allegations of lawyers who questioned Mahony in a deposition. Allegations Mahony has denied. The lawyers say even with that knowledge Mahony agreed to bring Aguilar to Los Angeles. And it didn't take long, authorities say, for Aguilar to begin terrorizing children in his new archdiocese. FEDERICO SICARD, FORMER LAPD DETECTIVE: Back then there were 26 victim. TUCHMAN: Former LAPD detective, Federico Sicard, worked on this case for more than 20 years. SICARD: Back in January 11th, 1988, around 8:30 in the morning we got a call via the police radio and we were directed to go to this particular school in east L.A., the (INAUDIBLE) area. TUCHMAN: Sicard arrived at Our Lady of Guadalupe to find four children who said they were molested. SICARD: It was horrible. Because what the kids were telling us. TUCHMAN: But Sicard never had a chance to question Aguilar. SICARD: We went to interview the priest and they told us he was no longer here. He is gone. He was taken to Mexico. TUCHMAN: Aguilar had indeed gone to Mexico. And how did he know the police were on their way? Recently released church files indicate he fled because he was tipped off a top aide to Cardinal Mahony. SICARD: If we had been able to get our hands on him, yes, he would have been detained. TUCHMAN: After Aguilar fled, more reports of abuse surfaced. The district attorney later filed a warrant charging Aguilar with 19 counts of lewd acts against a child. Aguilar landed back in Mexico City. Even after all the charges against him was still an active priest. He was reassigned to this church. He eventually left the Mexican capital and worked at a church in the Mexican state of Pueblo. And the accusations of abuse continued. San Juana Martinez is the Mexican journalist who's interviewed many who said they were abused by Aguilar. She's also interviewed Aguilar. (On camera): You talked to him on the telephone. SAN JUANA MARTINEZ, MEXICAN JOURNALIST: Yes, I talked to him. TUCHMAN: How did you feel when you get off the phone with him? MARTINEZ: Both angry and excited. You know? And I said, I can't believe that he's talking with me. TUCHMAN: Aguilar repeatedly denied the allegations. FR. NICOLAS AGUILAR RIVERA, CATHOLIC PRIEST: All this has been a series of defamations, slanders. That is what all of this has been. TUCHMAN: Five formal complaints have been filed against Aguilar since his return to Mexico to 1988. He's wanted in the state of Pueblo for statutory rape. But authorities there tell us they've lost his trail. We decided to look for Aguilar ourselves. And got a lead that he was last seen in the town of (INAUDIBLE), two hours south of Mexico City. (On camera): Yes, you do. You recognize him. (Voice-over): "Yes, I have seen him twice." Amiliano, a local farmer takes us to a bus stop, where he most recently saw Aguilar. We asked Amiliano if he recognized Aguilar from the news. (On camera): Yes, that's why I came with you. Because I have seen him. (Voice-over): At the bus stop we meet a woman who tells us she sees him regularly. She has no idea about his past. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (Through Translator): I saw him on the bus and he said, I should take care of my baby. That was all. TUCHMAN: She agrees to show us where she says Aguilar gets off the bus. Unfortunately once in the neighborhood the people we meet say they don't know him and our trail runs cold. Back in Mexico City, the spokesman for the archdiocese, Hugo Valdemar, says the church has no further responsibility for Aguilar. FR. HUGO VALDEMAR, SPOKESMAN FOR ARCHDIOCESE OF MEXICO CITY (Through Translator): Here in Mexico City we have no news of victims of Nicolas Aguilar. I'm not saying he may not have done things because we have the impression that he did. The church has done what needed to be done. It suspended Nicolas Aguilar. He is no longer a priest. TUCHMAN: But church officials did not defrock Aguilar until 2009. Years after they knew about the alleged abuse. Valdemar told us it's He said it is not the church's job to hunt down suspect. VALDEMAR (Through Translator): This is a job for the police. TUCHMAN: But San Juana Martinez doesn't see any evidence the police are looking for him. (On camera): Do you think that one day he will be arrested here or in Mexico? MARTINEZ: I don't think so. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN.

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