Houston priest removed from ministry amid sex abuse allegation in Colombia
An Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston priest has been removed from ministry after an allegation surfaced that he raped and impregnated a girl in South America, according to church leaders.
Jesus Suarez was suspended from his most recent assignment at St. Philip of Jesus Catholic Church on Villita Street in northeast Houston, according to an archdiocese statement. The complaint alleged that Suarez sexually assaulted a minor that "may have resulted in the birth of children" in his native country of Colombia before he immigrated to the United States in 1994 to serve as a priest, the statement read.
The archdiocese has since referred the complaint to the Houston Police Department, according to the statement.
HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva declined to elaborate on the allegation because the priest identified by the archdiocese has not been charged with a crime.
"Investigators are following up on all tips received from the archdiocese," Silva said.
Philip Wilhite, pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Conroe, identified Suarez as a former parochial vicar at the Montgomery County parish. He learned of the priest's removal on Friday, he said.
"All prior assignment parishes and his present one are being advised so that if there was any sexual misconduct by him with minors in these parishes, those victims would contact civil authorities," Wilhite wrote Saturday in a Facebook post.
He shared a letter from Auxillary Bishop George Sheltz, who is filling in for Cardinal Daniel DiNardo while he recovers from a stroke, that would be read during Mass on Saturday and Sunday at each of the churches where Suarez served. The memo identified the parishes as St. Vinc...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director