Parishioners of North Delta’s Immaculate Conception Parish received a letter this week from J. Michael Miller, Archbishop of Vancouver, informing them of the status of their departed priest, Father Nelson Santos, and accusations of sexual misconduct by the priest.
Miller noted a thorough investigation was conducted by a lawyer independent of the archdiocese, which confirmed that a number of accusations of sexual misconduct with an adult by the priest were well-founded, along with inappropriate behavior and comments.
“As a result, Father Santos is not permitted to exercise any priestly ministry in the Archdioceses, now or in the future. Should he apply to work as a priest elsewhere, the local bishop would be informed of our investigation. He has also been ordered not to meet members of parishes where he served,” wrote Miller.
“Father Santos’ actions have caused harm to the community. For some they have caused deep suffering and pain. To all those who were harmed in any way, I express my deep sorrow. I pray that the good Lord will heal all those hurt by these actions.”
Miller did not provide details of the incidents, but noted he wished he could have spoken to the congregation in person but the current restriction on mass attendance shows no signs of changing in the near future.
Miller also noted that anyone wanting to report any incident involving Father Santos can contact an independent reporting office.
A statement by Archdiocese of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»to the Optimist reiterated that the report from the third-party investigator determined that Santos, also formerly Pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Chilliwack, had violated his vows and engaged in sexual misconduct with an adult.
Santos was removed from the parish shortly after complaints were received and he was subsequently permanently removed from the ministry.
Vicar General Father Gary Franken said that while Santos’ known actions do not appear to be criminal in nature, they involved and hurt many individuals and the parish community as a whole, according to the statement.
"While Fr. Santos' sexual misconduct involved an adult, his other actions involved manipulation, anger and boundary violations, mostly with women,” he said. “These constitute serious abuse of trust and authority.”
Franken added, “The Archdiocese of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»deeply regrets that there are those in the parish who suffered greatly from Fr. Santos’ behaviour, and we continue to encourage anyone who has further concerns about him to come forward.”
