On his TV program ?Fe y Acontecer?, Cardinal Nicol?s de
Jes?s L?pez Rodr?guez criticized the press coverage given to the case of Domingo
Espinal, the missing priest of the Parroquia Inmaculada Concepci?n in the INVI
neighborhood of the Prolongaci?n Avenida Independencia, accused of the rape of a
14-year-old boy, and other boys.
The Archbishop of Santo Domingo said that the press should seek information on
the matter from the government and not the Church. He said the priest was
disassociated from the Church as soon as the first report on a similar case was
received. According to the Cardinal, Espinal then left the DR but returned after
the death of a brother.
The Cardinal criticized the fact that, despite his removal from the Church, the
government chose to promote him through military ranks, assigning him to the
second most important post at the Vocational School of the Armed Forces.
The case against Espinal was aired recently by investigative journalist Nuria
Piera on her Channel 9 show. She interviewed the child and his relatives, and
presented a taped conversation between the boy and the priest. On the tape, the
priest urged the boy to forget what had happened between them.
The Cardinal said on his Sunday?s Televida Channel 41 TV program: ?Everyone is
the owner of his own acts. The same goes for other priests that could also be
involved in such weaknesses.?
El Caribe reports that the Roman Catholic Church in Santo Domingo received a
letter in June 2000, in which a Catholic mother wrote to the Cardinal and Bishop
Amancio Escapa, regarding the attempted rape of her 17-year-old son by the
priest. The Church never responded directly to the concerned parents, but it now
appears that it did take the action of releasing the priest from his duties at
the school. At the time, the mother of the 17-year-old took him to the Instituto
de la Familia, where he received two sessions of therapy. The family did not
pursue the issue any further, claiming that the clergyman held too much
influence and it would have ultimately been his word against the boy?s.
When Piera aired the show about the 14-year-old victim, however, the mother of
the first teen was watching. She said she felt the more courageous family of the
14-year-old also represented her family when they brought their claims to the
Attorney General?s office.
Espinal has been requested to appear at the Attorney General?s office but his
current whereabouts are supposedly unknown. He is believed to be abroad.