Priest Charged in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Over Alleged Sexual Abuse of Minor

Father Flavio Ibarra Pedroza, 42, was arrested on December 4 as part of an investigation into alleged sexual abuse of a minor in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The allegations have not been tried, and the reports available do not describe a verdict.

Following the instructions of a judge, Ibarra Pedroza will be held in prison for the duration of the trial. The Attorney General’s Office of Aguascalientes State said the alleged rape would have occurred in 2013 in the parish of María Nuestra Señora Madre and Reina de las Familias, in Haciendas de Aguascalientes.

In a dialogue with the local press on December 5, the Vicar General of Aguascalientes, Fr. Javier Cruz Muñoz, said that “a few months ago, having been informed of this possible criminal commission, the protocol provided for in these cases was applied as required by the Church’s norms.” He said the Attorney General’s Office was immediately informed of the known facts so that it could begin an investigation to clarify them.

Cruz Muñoz said that, as a precautionary measure, Ibarra Pedroza had been suspended. He also said the diocese had asked the Vatican for his “definitive resignation from the clerical state, without this hindering the course set by the Attorney General’s Office.” Following established protocol in this way reflects a commitment to protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3).

“We are going to take steps to correct and renew ourselves,” Cruz Muñoz said, reiterating the diocese’s commitment to the fight against sexual abuse by members of the clergy. He added: “In the face of proven facts of sexual abuse committed by a clergyman, we will maintain the zero-tolerance stance and ensure the rigorous application of existing protocols, as we have done in this case.”

Msgr. Alfonso Miranda, secretary general of the Conference of the Mexican Episcopate (CEM), also spoke about a new “National Team for the Protection of Minors.” According to the report, he explained that the team is the institutionalization of a process, but the available text of his remarks ends at that point.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)