Evangelical pastor arrested in Carabanchel, Madrid, Spain, charged with alleged sexual assault of 17-year-old girl

Police arrested Carlos Abigail, a 49-year-old Honduran pastor who led an evangelical congregation in Carabanchel, Madrid, on Sunday, October 10. According to a spokesman for the Madrid Police Superior Headquarters, he was charged with sexual assault and corruption of minors. After he appeared before the courts, he was released with the charges pending and his passport was withdrawn. The allegations against him have not been tried, and he has not been convicted.

Police sources told the press that Abigail allegedly abused a 17-year-old girl, taking advantage of his ecclesiastical position and the economic vulnerability of the girl and her family. Press reports stated that he offered her 50 euros for each sexual encounter, which allegedly took place in a reserved room inside the church, a converted garage in a building on Haya Street. These details come from the reports and police sources and remain allegations.

According to the same reports, the girl was pressured through blackmail and coercion. The pastor allegedly threatened to circulate a video showing her naked. She had sent the recording to a boy her age, and the accused was reportedly aware that it existed. The girl’s mother went to the police station after she learned of the blackmail, and the case came to light from that point.

The police did not rule out that there were more victims, and the investigation is ongoing. Telemadrid was the first to report the arrest. When reporters visited the building, the church’s phone was answered by a woman who said she had no information to give and that the matter was in the hands of the authorities.

Other evangelical leaders in the area responded to the case. Juanma Cañizal, pastor of a church about 100 meters away, said he did not know Abigail, adding: “I heard something, I think it’s very bad. If he has done it, he will have to pay for it.” Jorge Fernández, spokesman for the Federation of Evangelical Entities of Spain, said the church involved does not belong to the federation’s congregations and called the conduct repudiable. He said that ministers of worship are required to present criminal background certificates each year, and that the federation runs prevention courses and action protocols across Spain.

Fernández’s statement points to the duty that religious leaders hold toward those under their influence, a duty that weighs most heavily where a young person is economically dependent and has little power to refuse (Psalm 82:3).

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)