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  Priest Paid Girls for Sex

By Jana G. Pruden
Leader-Post [Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada]
September 13, 2005

A Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting child prostitutes in Regina, and has had two charges of making child pornography stayed.

Pedro Surtida Aldea, 67, had originally been scheduled to stand trail before a judge and jury on all four charges, but instead entered guilty pleas to charges of obtaining the sexual services of a girl under the age of 18 on "several occasions" between Dec. 1, 2003 and April 3, 2004, and from another child between Jan. 1, 2004, and April 30, 2004.

[Photo caption: Pedro Aldea heads to Court of Queen's Bench Monday in Regina before pleading guilty to charges of obtaining the sexual services of a girl under the age of 18. The offences occurred when Aldea was a practising Roman Catholic priest. He will be sentenced in October. CREDIT: Bryan Schlosser, The Leader-Post]

After his guilty pleas, two charges of making child pornography by taking photographs of the girls were stayed by the Crown.

At the Crown's request, a pre-sentence report will now be done to look at whether electronic monitoring and sex offender treatment are possibilities in Aldea's case.

Aldea sat quietly with his head down during his brief court appearance, speaking only to enter his pleas.

He will appear in court again in October for a sentencing hearing. Soliciting the services of a child prostitute is a crime punishable with up to five years in prison.

Aldea is still facing one charge for soliciting an adult prostitute and is slated to appear in Regina Provincial Court later this fall on that allegation.

Originally from the Philippines, Aldea spent 15 years as a priest in postings around rural Saskatchewan -- including Shaunavon, Eastend, Climax and Admiral-- before coming to Regina.

He served as priest at Sacred Heart parish and priest moderator at St. Cecilia from August 2002 to May 2004, when he was arrested at the Regina Airport as he returned from a vacation.

Paul Harasen, lawyer for the Archdiocese of Regina, said Aldea stepped down from his duties as soon as he was charged and has since had his ability to serve as a priest revoked completely.

Harasen said he's not sure what other sanctions Aldea may face from the church in the future.

"I'm not totally sure what will happen other than to say that the general policy of the church and the diocese is that there is no place in public ministry at all for people who abuse children," Harasen said.

Harasen said the church conducted its own internal investigation and concluded that Aldea's actions had "no connection whatsoever with his priestly ministry."

Aldea is not being held in custody but has been living with a number of conditions since he was charged.

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the department is following Aldea's case closely. Permanent residents and foreign nationals can face deportation if convicted of a serious offence.