Former Priest Allegedly Molested and Raped Girl for Years after She Went to Him for Confession

By Jon Silman
Oxygen
June 22, 2018

https://www.oxygen.com/crime-time/Miguel-Luna-priest-texas-molest-rape-girl-confession

A former Texas priest has been accused of molesting and raping a female altar server for years — with the alleged abuse starting in confession.

Miguel Luna, 68, was arrested June 11 on charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, according to court documents cited by KVIA-TV in El Paso.

Luna was arrested after the victim, now 34, decided to come forward. The abuse allegedly began when the victim was 8. Luna was taking a confessional with the victim and then start "kissing her passionately," court documents said.

He would tell the little girl "remember this is confession, so whatever happens here stays in here," according to the complaint.

By the time the girl turned 10, he was touching her breasts, according to KVIA-TV. When she turned 12, he allegedly raped her. The girl said she felt pain and bled after it happened, according to court documents.

The alleged abuse continued until the girl was 17. Luna had a close relationship with the girl’s mother and the abuse didn't stop until the girl moved away, the documents said.

Luna has not been a priest since 2013, when he was removed from the fellowship after an investigation by the Diocesan Review Board found other sexual misconduct allegations against him, according to the El Paso Times.

Last year, he allegedly admitted to molesting a girl in the 1980s after an El Paso Catholic Diocese investigation. It's not known if that investigation involved the same victim in the complaint.


At the time, El Paso Catholic Diocese Bishop Mark J. Seitz said the investigation began in 2016 when a victim came forward and said Luna molested her.

"Any act of sexual abuse is reprehensible, immoral and criminal," Seitz said in August 2017. "While sexual acting out with a minor by any person is always wrong, it is directly contradictory to the sacrificial love to which a priest has committed himself before God."

Seitz said they contacted the El Paso Police Department, but the victim hadn't talked to police.

He said "there's a chance" there are even more of Luna's victims out there, according to the El Paso Times.

Luna was ordained in 1982 and worked in 12 communities, many in the El Paso area and some in West Texas. He's being held on $50,000 bond.