WASHINGTON (DC)
Associated Press
August 12, 2019
A third parishioner has testified that a Washington, D.C., priest groped her as a child, first caressing her thigh during a “face-to-face” confession and then groping her chest.
The 47-year-old priest Urbano Vazquez is on trial on child sex abuse charges.
The Washington Post reports the 18-year-old woman told the court that Vazquez first touched her thigh when she was 13 in spring 2015. She testified that weeks later, Vazquez shoved his hand into her bra as she sat in a church office. Another woman testified Vazquez kissed her when she was 16 in 2015, a year after he was ordained. And a 12-year-old girl testified that Vazquez groped and kissed her when she was 9 and 10.
The priest’s lawyer says the allegations are fabricated and lack common sense.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.