Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 8, 2024 / 15:30 pm
A priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri, was found guilty of sexual solicitation of an adult during confession and has been barred from holding any office in the Church and from celebrating Mass or hearing confessions.
Father Ignazio Medina was found guilty by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the disciplinary actions against him were announced in a Jan. 1 statement by the Diocese of Jefferson City. In 2023, Medina was also convicted by a Church tribunal of embezzling more than $300,000 from parish funds.
Despite his crimes, Medina remains a priest in the Diocese of Jefferson City and will continue to receive retirement support from the diocese.
In a statement sent to CNA, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight, who heads the Diocese of Jefferson City, said: “I want to be clear that sexual solicitation during confession is a sacrilege, a crime in our Church, and a grave form of abuse; it cannot be tolerated.”