California priest pleads no contest in child pornography case

CNA Staff, October 11, 2024 / 1:55 PM

A priest in California has pleaded no contest to charges of possessing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse material. His sentencing comes just over a year after his arrest.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday that Father Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara “has pled no contest to one felony count of possession of child sexual abuse material.” He was associated with several churches, including Our Lady of Guadalupe in Oxnard, California.

As part of that plea, the 39-year-old priest also admitted to possessing “more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material, including images and videos of prepubescent minors under the age of 12.”

Martinez-Guevara was arrested in September 2023. In announcing the priest’s plea this week, prosecutor Erik Nasarenko said Martinez-Guevara had “betrayed the law and the trust placed in him as a religious leader.”

“Child sexual abuse material preys on the most vulnerable members of our society, and we will continue to ensure that anyone guilty of such heinous crimes is held accountable, regardless of their position or title,” the prosecutor said.

The priest is a member of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. The religious congregation said in a statement following Martinez-Guevara’s plea that his crimes “do not reflect the values ​​of our congregation, and we are deeply saddened by his actions.”

“Our thoughts go out to all the victims who were injured and whose lives were damaged in this terrible way,” the institute said.

Martinez-Guevara’s “canonical trial of loss of mental state will continue” after the guilty verdict, the group said.

The investigation into Martinez-Guevara was launched in April 2023 after reports were made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A task force of multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the investigation.

The priest is expected to be sentenced on December 9 in Ventura County.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles told media last year that Martinez-Guevara “was not a priest of (the archdiocese)” but had “the abilities to serve” there. After his arrest, he was “removed from office by the archdiocese and its command,” the statement said.

“The Archdiocese opposes any sexual misconduct and is steadfast in our support of the victims of any misconduct,” the statement said.

The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit currently have members in several dozen communities in several countries, although the majority are in Mexico. Priests of the group are also located in Italy, Colombia and Spain.