Alleged Abuse Victim: "I Could Not Understand How a Bishop Could Be Attracted to Men"
Bishop Santarsiero denies any wrongdoing.
He was an institutional colleague of Bishop Robert Prevost of Chiclayo (2014-2023). Santarsiero, Bishop of Huacho since 2004, moved in the same circles, and both held leadership roles in the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. Santarsiero was president of the Economic Council (2020–2022) and Prevost a second vice president of the Peruvian bishops.
The testimony of the anonymous seminarian includes graphic and traumatising details.
"When I was 15, I went to a minor seminary in December 2010. My older brother [name], had gone there before me. He invited me to go. My experience there was positive, and I attended my senior year of high school in [city] in 2011. When my brother left the seminary, I left as well. A month later, a priest named [name] arrived and invited me to attend the seminary of the Diocese of Huacho. I was about to turn 17 and attended my senior year of high school in 2012.
When I was with my classmates at the seminary, Bishop Santarsiero would call me aside or run into me in the hallways. When we were alone, he would give me tight, prolonged hugs while telling me, “I am like a father to you.” This was at the beginning, when I was at the minor seminary in 2012. But when I entered the major seminary in 2013, he would come into my room, and his hugs became more intense; at the same time, he would try to kiss me on the face while repeating, “I’m like a father to you, and I have the right to hug you—and you can hug me too.” When he did this, I felt very uncomfortable. He would hold me by the waist, touch my buttocks, and try to press me against his genitals. At those moments, I would say to him, ‘Monsignor, why are you doing that? I don’t think this is right.’ To which he would reply, ‘Don’t worry, this isn’t bad. I’m like a father to you. Don’t be afraid.’ This behavior was repeated many times. I estimate about twice a month during the year 2013.
Then Bishop Santarsiero’s actions became more aggressive: He was determined and began touching my testicles and penis, saying, ‘Press yourself close to me.’ I tried to run away and many times I managed to escape. At that time, it was traumatic for me. I couldn’t understand how a person who was admired and revered by so many people could do these things to me. I felt dirty, I felt repulsed, and I began to feel resentment and anger toward that person who claimed to be my father and yet abused me. I couldn’t understand how a bishop could be attracted to men, which is why I left the seminary in March 2014. When I left the seminary, the bishop prevented me from going home. He offered me a job on a mandarin farm that they say belongs to the diocese.
But unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. The situation got much worse. Later, he pulled down my pants and groped my testicles and penis. He told me, “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to teach you how to clean yourself.” At the same time, he forced himself on me and kissed me on the mouth. I tried to escape a situation that filled me with disgust and shame. Deep down, I wanted to hit him; but at the same time, I thought he was the bishop and that I had to respect him. That’s how we had been taught: that the bishop deserves the utmost respect. So, even though I rejected him by pushing him away from my body, he kept insisting, and I felt overwhelmed and trapped. This also happened many times. He also tried to perform oral sex on me. He would sit in front of me, pull down my pants, and try to put my penis in his mouth. I would try to resist that again and wanted to scream. Then he would stand up and say to me, ‘That’s enough, that’s enough.’ This was a terrible situation for me. It’s hard to describe in words.”
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