BishopAccountability.org
	Mexican Priest Detained, Accused of Raping Boy By Lisa J. Adams Associated Press, carried in San Francisco Chronicle October 3, 2006 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/10/03/international/i192440D13.DTL&hw=mahony&sn=001&sc=1000 (10-03) 19:24 PDT Mexico City, Mexico (AP) — A Mexican Roman Catholic priest was detained on charges that he raped a 9-year-old boy seven years ago, authorities confirmed Tuesday. Rafael Perez Sanchez was taken into custody Saturday in the community of San Rafael Tlanalapan in the central state of Puebla, the Puebla state Attorney General's Office said in a news release. Perez, whose age was not given, is accused of the rape of a minor at the priest's residence over the Christmas holidays in 1999, the news release said. The boy's mother and father were good friends with Perez, and as a result, the minor initially was afraid to tell them what happened, police said. He finally did in 2003, and his parents immediately filed a complaint. A judge did not issue an arrest warrant until last year, and it wasn't until Saturday that police were able to find the priest, who, according to Mexican news media, was still celebrating Mass in a local parish at the time. Perez was turned over to the criminal judge in the town of Huejotzingo (pronounced way-hote-SEEN-go) to determine whether he will be held over for trial or released, the authorities said. Perez's detention comes amid a similar scandal involving a second Mexican priest from Puebla, the Rev. Nicolas Aguilar. A 25-year-old Mexican man has accused Aguilar of raping him when the man was a teenager in 1994. The priest also has been charged in California with 19 felony counts of committing lewd acts on a child. The alleged Mexican victim, Joaquin Aguilar Mendez, also filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Sept. 19 accusing Mexican Roman Catholic Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Mexico City and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony of conspiring to protect the Rev. Aguilar. Both cardinals have denied the accusations. The priest is still at large despite ongoing searches by local authorities.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.