A Detroit priest has been charged with battery following an incident involving a 13-year-old girl during a St. Jude relic tour at a church in the south suburbs of Joliet, Ill.
The suspect, 50-year-old Carlos Martins of Detroit, Michigan, allegedly grabbed the girl’s hair and used it as floss, according to Joliet police.
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The incident happened around 3:23 p.m. November 21 at Queen of Apostles Church, located at 130 Woodlawn Avenue in Joliet.
Martins allegedly approached the teen girl as she waited in line to view the relic of St. Jude, police said.
The priest allegedly grabbed the girl’s hair, mimicked flossing with her hair in his mouth, and growled at her while she sat down.
After an investigation, the priest, identified as Martins, was named as a suspect by the police. It was revealed that he was a representative for the relic tour and was not employed by the Joliet church.
Martins was arrested Monday and he has been charged with battery, police said.
The Diocese of Joliet shared the following statement with ABC7 on November 24:
“On Thursday, November 21, Queen of Apostles hosted the visit of the relic of St. Jude for public veneration. A non-profit, outside ministry called “Treasures of the Church”, was responsible for hosting the relic in the United States. The relic has been on a national pilgrimage in the United States for over a year. The tour and the relic were overseen by a priest with the Companions of the Cross, an Order of priests in Canada. During the course of the day’s veneration in Queen of Apostles Church, an incident with the priest and some students was reported to have happened in our church. We immediately contacted the police. A police investigation is still on-going. The priest was confronted with the information. We informed the priest that he must depart from our parish and out of our Diocese. In an abundance of caution, we decided that the remainder of the veneration of the relic and evening mass would be cancelled. These decisions and actions were in accordance with our Diocesan Safe Environment Policies and our Standards of Behavior. The incident was also immediately reported to Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet, who supported our decision to cancel the remainder of the event and on the evening of November 21, Bishop Hicks cancelled the tour of the relic scheduled at two more of our parishes this week. Bishop Hicks also informed the Superior of the Companions of the Cross Order of priests. All involved in this incident are safe. All of the priests at both campuses of Queen of Apostles are committed to keeping people safe and will continue to act accordingly. We are deeply saddened by this incident and all impacted by the cancellation of the relic tour. We thank you for your understanding and ask that you continue to keep everyone involved in your prayers.”
No further information was immediately available.
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