SAN DIEGO, California, September 20, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of San Diego did not tell a parish their associate pastor was under police investigation for sexual battery when it removed him in February.
But diocesan spokesman Kevin Eckery defended the decision on grounds that the complainant was an adult over age 21 and that the diocese didn’t want to influence the criminal case, which, he says, will ultimately determine whether the incident was consensual.
Fr. Juan Garcia Castillo, 35, was charged May 14 of one count of the misdemeanor charge of sexual battery after he allegedly assaulted a seminarian following a parish event in February, Catholic News Agency’s J.D. Flynn reported Tuesday.
Eckery told LifeSiteNews the incident took place Saturday, February 4, at a restaurant, but would not confirm or deny if the alleged victim is a seminarian.
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