PHOENIX (AZ)
12 News [Phoenix, AZ]
August 12, 2026
By Kevin Reagan
The justices ruled the pastor’s recorded statements to another pastor are not considered a confession that’s protected under Arizona law.
Recorded statements of a Phoenix pastor admitting to kissing and touching a child can be used as evidence in the pastor’s criminal case, the Arizona Supreme Court has ruled.
On Wednesday, the high court released its decision regarding a case involving Mario Rodriguez-Ramirez, who was arrested in 2021 for allegedly abusing a child.
Before his arrest, Rodriguez-Ramirez allegedly told another pastor he had secretly watched a child shower, as well as hugged, touched and kissed the girl. The other pastor recorded the conversation without Rodriguez-Ramirez’s knowledge or consent.
The other pastor shared the recording with the child’s family and the family subsequently contacted law enforcement, court records show
The defendant attempted to have the recording not used in court, claiming the conversation was protected under Arizona law because it was a confession made to a pastor.
The Supreme Court justices disagreed with the defendant’s argument, ruling that the statements made failed to meet the legal requirements for a protected confession.
Because the defendant’s statements included talking about running from law enforcement and centered on protecting his reputation, the court found that the confession privilege does not apply.
A true confession must include an admission of fault and be made to seek spiritual forgiveness, the justices ruled.
The case was remanded back to the trial court where the recorded conversation may be used as evidence. Rodriguez-Ramirez’s case in Maricopa County Superior Court remains pending.
Wednesday’s ruling is the second decision made by the state supreme court in recent weeks involving Arizona’s “clergy-penitent privilege.” The court ruled in favor of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for a separate case involving a confession of child abuse made to a church official.
RELATED: Arizona Supreme Court sides with LDS Church in ‘duty-to-report’ abuse case