'He Played With People’s Minds': Fresno Priest Left a Trail of Sexual Abuse Allegations
By News
Published 4 years ago on
June 26, 2020
Share
[aggregation-styles]
KQED
Luis, a 40-year-old native of Jalisco, Mexico, had been meeting with a popular local priest in Fresno, Jesús Antonio Castañeda Serna, who went by the name Father Antonio. His family had introduced him to Father Antonio in hope of the priest helping Luis, who had struggled with an addiction to meth, get back on his feet.
At the time, Father Antonio was lead pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Spanish-language congregation of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin. The priest’s charismatic leadership drew in hundreds from Fresno’s Latino community and his rumored healing abilities had earned him the nickname “el padrecito que hace milagros” — the priest who performs miracles.
During sessions in Father Antonio’s office that Luis said took place over the course of several years, he would lie down on a bench or massage table wearing only his boxers, while Father Antonio prayed and rubbed oil onto his skin. The intensity of the massage was so forceful that the priest often left bruises, Luis later testified.
Luis eventually told authorities that it was during these massages — which the priest said he needed to expel a curse from his body — that Father Antonio sexually assaulted him.
A KQED investigation found Castañeda had been accused before and has moved from the Catholic Church to the Anglican Church and then to another religious group without undergoing complete background checks — or any at all.
Read More →
KQED
Luis, a 40-year-old native of Jalisco, Mexico, had been meeting with a popular local priest in Fresno, Jesús Antonio Castañeda Serna, who went by the name Father Antonio. His family had introduced him to Father Antonio in hope of the priest helping Luis, who had struggled with an addiction to meth, get back on his feet.
At the time, Father Antonio was lead pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Spanish-language congregation of the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin. The priest’s charismatic leadership drew in hundreds from Fresno’s Latino community and his rumored healing abilities had earned him the nickname “el padrecito que hace milagros” — the priest who performs miracles.
During sessions in Father Antonio’s office that Luis said took place over the course of several years, he would lie down on a bench or massage table wearing only his boxers, while Father Antonio prayed and rubbed oil onto his skin. The intensity of the massage was so forceful that the priest often left bruises, Luis later testified.
Luis eventually told authorities that it was during these massages — which the priest said he needed to expel a curse from his body — that Father Antonio sexually assaulted him.
A KQED investigation found Castañeda had been accused before and has moved from the Catholic Church to the Anglican Church and then to another religious group without undergoing complete background checks — or any at all.
Read More →
By Alexandra Hall | 25 June 2020
RELATED TOPICS:
At Time of Rising Antisemitism, Holocaust Survivors Take on Denial and Hate in New Digital Campaign
Inspire /
10 hours ago
Gov. Newsom Appoints Judges for Fresno, Merced Counties
Local /
22 hours ago
Israel Briefs US on Evacuation Plan for Palestinians Ahead of Planned Rafah Assault
World /
23 hours ago
Canadian Police Make 3 Arrests in Sikh Separatist’s Slaying That Sparked a Spat with India
World /
23 hours ago
Three Arrested for Trespassing, Posting Flyers at Fresno Synagogue and Church
Crime /
24 hours ago
Latest
Videos
Politics /
10 hours ago
Yellen Says Threats to Democracy Risk US Economic Growth, an Indirect Jab at Trump
World /
10 hours ago
New Sea Route for Gaza Aid on Track. Treating Starving Children Is a Priority
Inspire /
10 hours ago
At Time of Rising Antisemitism, Holocaust Survivors Take on Denial and Hate in New Digital Campaign
Local /
22 hours ago
Gov. Newsom Appoints Judges for Fresno, Merced Counties
World /
23 hours ago