Accused of raping a 15-year-old boy, a former New Jersey priest has justified his disgusting actions by stating that the boy had “evil” thoughts and “wanted” sex, reported RawStory. The victim, Max Rojas Ramirez, has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Newark.
Ramirez, 28, was 15 years old when Rev. Manuel Gallo Espinoza raped him. Espinoza has since vanished. Ramirez first encountered Espinoza during confession when Ramirez was eight-years-old. “I was looking for guidance and trying to figure out all these things, and eventually I came to tell him about the attraction I had toward guys,” said Ramirez.
Espinoza took advantage of Ramirez’s confusion and befriended the young man. One night, Ramirez spent the night at Mt. Mary’s Rectory, at Espinoza’s request, and was sexually assaulted by him.
“It hurt, I was in pain,” said Ramirez. “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.”
Upon accusations, Espinoza fled to Ecuador in 2003. He recently told NJ Advance Media that he regrets the action, but insists the Ramirez “wanted” it.
“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,” Espinoza said. “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.”
The Catholic Church suffers from a plague of priests who continue to sexually assault young children. This is yet another disease that Pope Francis should deal with head-on and eradicate.
