Priest arrested for abuse of disabled sex slave

Antonio Julio, a priest from Numao, municipality of Vila Nova de Foz Coa, is charged with crimes of human trafficking and sexual assault against a person unable to resist. He is being held in the prison of the Judicial Police of Porto and will be heard in the court of Matosinhos this morning.

Throughout the day of this Thursday, the victim of the crimes was listened to. A man, now 44, who has been a slave and sexually abused for at least seven years. He told how he had been living for the last few years, he guaranteed that if there was no sex with a priest, then there would be neither food nor the right to hygienic care. He was also forced to work and was not paid. He devoted himself to domestic and agricultural work. He lived in cramped conditions and without minimal medical conditions.

The victim, who suffers from mental disorders, has been under the care of a priest since 2017. By decision of the court, the parish priest was appointed as the guardian of the victim living in the parish house.
The man says he went with a priest. Not only in Foz Coa, but, for example, in Maya, where the first complaint of sexual harassment was received.

The complaint was filed by a technician from an anti-trafficking group who learned about it through a relative of the victim.

This Friday, when he was brought to the judicial police, the priest did not make any statements. He only asked to speak to the bishop to inform him that he was under arrest, always maintaining cordial relations with the inspectors.

The victim will be interviewed for the future in the coming days, and will also undergo a medical examination to confirm abuse. Although he is found to have some cognitive deficits, he was able to report his experiences with the parish priest, and the prosecutor’s office found this testimony to be credible.

In the community, the arrest was greeted with surprise, the parishioners refused to believe the accusations.

DETAILS
father nine years ago
Antonio Julio Fernandez Pinto was born on October 12, 1959 in Vila Nova de Foz Coa. He woke up late to his calling as a priest – he was ordained a priest in 2013, at the age of 54, and was immediately placed in the parishes of Numán and Horta do Douro, which are about 10 kilometers apart. Since 2017, he has been assigned as the guardian of the victim he allegedly abused.

Bishop in Numan
On August 23, 2018, the Diocese of Lamego published on its website a text by Father Antonio Julio, in which he announced the visit of the Bishop of Lamego, D. António Couto, to Numao two days earlier. “As a good shepherd, he immediately expressed his gratitude for such a warm and humble welcome,” Father Antonio Julio wrote.

Visit of seminarians
On May 9, 2018, the Diocese of Lamego published on its website a text in which a group of seminarians announced their visit to Numan, accompanied by Father António Julio. Seminarians thank the priest.

Responsible for several parishes
The priest was in charge of several parishes in Foz Coa: Sedovim (Sao Joao Baptista), Custoias (Sao Joao Baptista), Horta (Santissimo Salvador), Numan (Nossa Señora da Assunsan), Vale de Figueira a Velha (Nossa Senhora do Rosario). .

The Patriarchy sent a list of seven names
A list of seven priests from the Lisbon region suspected of committing crimes of sexual abuse of minors was sent to the public ministry at the initiative of the Patriarchate of Lisbon.

The prosecutor’s office opened six cases
The MP has already closed six of the ten investigations launched into 17 complaints filed by the Independent Commission for the Study of Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church.

Three more complaints are pending
In August, the Diocesan Commission for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons filed three more allegations of alleged sexual abuse of children by members of the Church.

Rumors about the type of relationship
“There have been rumors for some time about what kind of relationship Father Antonio had with his protégé, because the population was surprised by the closeness between them, but no one wanted to believe it,” says António Reis, a resident of Numao. in Vila Nova de Gaia, Nova de Foz Coa.

In Horta do Douro, where the victim lived in a parish house provided by António Julio, also the parish priest, neighbors who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that “practically every day the priest took the boy in the car and walked with him. side and even took him to his home in Numao for a long time, which was already beginning to arouse suspicion.

The 44-year-old victim did various jobs not only in the priest’s house in Numana, but also in the area of ​​the Orta Church. On Thursday morning, according to a neighbor, the abused victim “was mowing the lawn in the churchyard garden at 8:00 a.m. when a car pulled up with two SP inspectors. They talked to him, put him in a car and drove away. “.

He was from the Porto area and was abandoned by his mother.
According to residents of Horta do Douro, the victim suffers from a clear mental illness. He arrived in the village from the Porto area a little over two years ago with his mother, who left him some time later. “He lived for some time on charity until Father António placed him in the parish house when he was appointed parish priest of the village nine years ago,” says a neighbor.