A Catholic priest has admitted to having sex with a 15-year-old boy before fleeing the country and his victim is suing the church, according to The New Civil Rights Movement.
The 15-year-old boy visited a confession booth at his Catholic Church and told the priest that he was confused about his sexuality, reports Raw Story.
Weeks later, the victim claims Rev. Manuel Gallo Espnoza raped him in a rectory bedroom at St. Mary’s Church in Plainfield, New Jersey, as NJ.com detailed in their exclusive report.
The victim told NJ.com, “I saw him as a priest, and that’s it. I didn’t even know who was in the confessional when I went in there.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
He claims the priest told him, “Don’t worry. This is what God wants.”
The victim says that he asked Espinoza to drive him home, but the priest insisted he stay in one of the church’s bedrooms.
“I just felt something very heavy on top of me,” he said. “It hurt. I was in pain. My eyes popped open, and he had his whole body on top of me. He started touching me and kissing me. I was shaking. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk.”
Rev. Espinoza says he quit the priesthood — but he was in fact suspended. He also “deflected blame for the incident by saying the teen ‘wanted’ it and had ‘evil in his mind,’” according to NJ.com.
Espinoza admits his actions were a “mistake,” and said he fled to Ecuador shortly after the rape was reported to a nun:
“One thing that I am conscious (of) is he was at that time a teenager, and it is a big mistake for me. But I didn’t force him to do anything he didn’t want. He was older (sic) enough to walk away, but I think that I was attracted to him, that is the only explanation that I can think right now. He had something evil in his mind. He approached me many times.”
NJ.com asked Espinoza if he knew having sex with a minor was a serious offense. He wrote back via email: “I just came fr (sic) my country and really in Ecuador a person at 15 years old is not consider (sic) so innocent.”
Authorities might attempt to extradite Espinoza back to the U.S., as he’s currently the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Union County’s Prosecutor’s Office, according to The New Civil Rights Movement.
Atrius
Disgusting. Get him, and lock him up.
Luis Collazo
Fucking sicko!
Brian JC Kneeland
bring him back – and have him answer in court for the charges. With the tone these days the bishop of where he is will have to agree!
Carlos Martinez
This is not a surprise! The Catholic Church along with other denominations are such hypocrites. They preach one thing and practice complete opposite. And sexual deviance by priest has been happening and hidden for hundreds of years. I remember in confession when I was younger the priest being a little to close to me and too touchy feely but I was young and gay the gentle touch of man did not bother me. That’s as far as it went. Luckily. But this is not a surprise to me
Jason Spjute
Sexual repression can do horrible things
1EqualityUSA
The collar is synonymous with sexual crimes. This lad’s frontal lobes are yet to be developed, and this grown creature is taking advantage of his vulnerable state. Dark Church, Wear sweatshirts, 501 jeans, and exhaust yourselves, building hospitals. Exhaust yourselves with hard labor. It worked for Juan de la Cruz. Love the vestments, the robes, the sashes, and get to work!
Lee Morris
How many children have to be raped by Catholic Church Priests before the Feds put a stop to it, OH wait they are ruled by the Church so won’t happen.
Carl Swope
This is why I have a problem with the Catholic religion I can respect the blinded people who drank the koolaid right to the Catholic faith
Sean Sullivan
What does this have to do with everyday gay life? Why are there so many stories about male rape on Queerty?
Kangol
Extradite this depraved pedophile/ephebophile, try him, convict him, and lock his ass up. That way he won’t be protected by the Catholic hierarchy and he won’t be able to molest children and teenagers again. Ecuador’s authorities need to keep a close eye on him as well.
Can someone explain why so many Catholic priests seem to molest children and adolescents? I’ve known gay priests who are sleeping with other grown men, but what is up with these guys’ higher propensity for abusing children of both sexes?
Rehman Edward Saif
Hanging should be mandatory for all child killers and rapists. There would be NO repeat offenders.
Kaito Oroszco
Rape is a sick twisted thing and those who commit it deserve nothing but an eternal life of torment.
Raphael Marquez
Yea that makes sense, the same god who opposes gay marriage encourages underage rape #dumbass
Chris
I hope we can extradite this man and throw him in jail to rot.
aaronarnwine
sick bastard. now, why don’t we shun Roman Polanski? his victim was 13.
Frank Croix
Where the hell is the priest’s picture? Other children need to be protected.
Alex Banx
why’d he leave? its not like he would of been convicted.
Ladbrook
The Catholic priesthood is a wonderful and attractive hiding place for pedophiles… so it’s no wonder so many have turned up there over the years. These criminal perverts can avoid marriage and all the other responsibilities of life by simply signing up and then applying to work at a school or with a youth group. Easy pickin’s at that point.
For different reasons, the priesthood is also an attractive calling for closeted gay men who grow up in strict Catholic families. They, too, can avoid the messy explanations for why they aren’t married, etc. A lot of these men have turned cultural homophobia in on themselves, so they lash out at us for having what they desperately want (see: Benedict, Pope).
But not all gay priests are self-hating. I’ve dated three, and all were basically well-adjusted (aside from the fact that they work for the enemy). The stories they told were eye-opening. They all estimated that over 70% of the priests they know are closeted gay men, and few are celibate… even the straight ones have discreet relationships with women when the need arises.
In other words… the whole thing is just one big clusterfuck… a scam. The sooner the Catholic Church ends it, the better off everyone will be.
o.codone
Another story intended to bring out all the Christian-hating, rabid, foaming at the mouth gay men. I suggest that gays stay out of this man’s bedroom and mind their own business. Move on girls. This a private, personal matter and you will never know all the facts. So hands-off this priest unless of course your real agenda is to denigrate Catholics and religion. We all know how excited gay’s get when it comes to tearing-down people of faith. Gays are the first in line. Move on girls, nothing to see here.
Lance Mullholland
BREAKING news EXLUSIVE! In 2003 ?? !!
Get off the bad priest thing already- never was it right, but now it’s been worn out…
Dennis Zack
i heard it all.
Clark35
@o.codone: He raped some teenager, that’s sick.
Billy Budd
Priests are the lowest form of humans. They are disgusting creatures. He says THE BOY was evil, not him. He must be punished.
Billy Budd
“this is what god wants”
Ashleigh Battles
That was not God.
Brian K Combs
1 can only assume he’s never heard of rent a boy .com
dre23222
@Raphael Marquez: good comment. You are a nice looking guy Raphael
Luis H. Lopez
You see why I don’t follow anyone because evil is in the Church too !
James
Bigger question is why the New Jersey cops couldn’t find the fired priest Gallo – according to (sickeningly self serving) tweet by Gallo he was still in the US on a visa & TEACHING CHILDREN!
Presuming US has a child workers register (like most every other first world state) & a searchable immigration database how come he couldn’t be found for questioning in 2003?
James
http://twitter.com/ManuelGallo11/status/629177971765563392/photo/1
Scott Haltom
He wasn’t filling the boy with “the holy spirit”? Pat Robertson would be proud of that priest.
Warwick Sauer
God is all seeing; all powerful. He can control everything. So, I have to agree with the priest – given He allowed it, God must have been cool with it.
…unless of course there’s no God. Hmmm, there’s a thought.
Valerie Anderson
Sicko
Ed Chan
Is he really suspended or merely reassigned to another parish overseas?
Hayden Jerome
SikkFukk!!
LibraOracle
Men are perverted,it’s so unbelievable such monsters evolved from females who are their opposite,blame all your wickedness on some gods but mothernature sees all and will take good care of you.
Robert Young
You’ve just been #duggered !
glennk
What pissed me off about what Espinoza said was that this 15 yr old teenager “wanted it” and had “evil on the mind”. I think Espinoza wanted it and had evil on his mind. It doesn’t matter if the consent in Ecuador is 15, it isn’t in the US and he clearly knew it by fleeing the country to Ecuador.