Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 18, 2022 / 17:15 pm
A priest in the Archdiocese of Miami convicted in October of raping a woman in his parish rectory was sentenced Thursday to nearly eight years in prison.
Father Jean Claude Philippe, 67, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Homestead, Florida, was sentenced to 94½ months in state prison, the minimum sentence allowed for the crime. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence, 15 years.
A Vincentian priest, Philippe was accused of raping a woman at the church’s rectory where he lived in 2018 after giving her a drugged beverage. He admitted during the trial to inviting the woman to his home and stripping down nearly naked while giving her a body massage with oil, but he denied raping her, the Miami Herald reported.
The woman testified that Philippe was close to her family, having officiated at her wedding and serving as godfather of her and two of her children.