Priest in Soria arrested over alleged sexual harassment of a minor

A 67-year-old priest, pastor of Serón de Nágima in the Diocese of Osma-Soria in northern Spain, has been arrested after a complaint accusing him of sexually harassing a minor. The complaint was filed between August 9 and 11, and the case is being investigated by the court in Almazán, according to the Heraldo Diario de Soria. He has faced a similar accusation before: in 2014 he was acquitted of a case in which prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence for the sexual abuse of three minors in Medinaceli.

According to the complaint, the events took place when the priest, after a period of sick leave, attended Mass in Serón de Nágima on a Sunday in the summer. He asked the girl to lift her shirt and show him her breasts. Alarmed, she quickly left and told those around her what had happened. That same afternoon the priest sent her a large number of WhatsApp messages with sexual content. It is not known how he obtained her phone number.

After the complaint, the Guardia Civil arrested him and he was given a restraining order barring him from approaching the girl. The victim's family said they were surprised to learn that the priest had already stood trial for sexual abuse. He has not carried out his duties in Serón de Nágima since August 11, when the diocese learned of the complaint.

Diocesan measures and the earlier case

The priest had been in charge of the church in Serón de Nágima for three years and also had other parishes in the area assigned to him, among them Morón de Almazán and Borchicayada. Following the complaint, the diocese removed him from ministry on August 11. It sent another priest to celebrate the liturgies during Serón's patronal festival, held from September 11 to 14, 2026, so that the faithful could enjoy the celebrations without disruption.

In 2013 the same priest was tried for the sexual abuse of three minors while he was teaching religion at the public primary school (CEIP) in Medinaceli. The Provincial Court of Soria acquitted him after finding that the touching and lewd acts described in the complaint had not been proven. Despite the acquittal, the Diocese of Osma-Soria had taken precautionary measures at the time and suspended him from his duties until the case was resolved.

The Diocese of Osma-Soria has a protocol for preventing the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people, as well as a code of good practice intended to ensure safe environments in the Church. The diocese has not commented on the current case. It expressed satisfaction in the past after the priest's acquittal.