UPDATE: Father Carlos Martins’ attorney provides fuller context of church incident

CNA Staff, Nov 24, 2024 / 15:25 pm

An attorney for the popular podcaster and exorcist Father Carlos Martins says the priest did nothing improper during a parish event in Illinois last week and that initial news reports about an ongoing police investigation into his conduct were incorrect and damaging to his reputation.

Martins simply touched a girl’s hair in front of more than 200 other students while making a joke about his own baldness, attorney Marcella Burke said in a statement released to CNA.

The Nov. 21 meeting with students took place “in a classroom setting with teachers, clergy, parish staff, and volunteers present” at St. Paul Catholic Church in Joliet, Illinois, she said.

Martins, a priest of the Companions of the Cross order known for hosting the "Exorcist Files" podcast, was visiting the area as part of his national touring exhibit of a relic of the arm of St. Jude the Apostle. 

“As he always does, Fr. Martins began his interaction with the attendees in ‘chit-chat’ dialogue. He is bald and apt to joke about it as a conversation starter,” Burke said in the statement.

“During his conversation with the older students, he made a comment to a student about her long hair, remarking, ‘You and I have almost the same hair style,’ a comment met with giggles. He then remarked that he also once had long hair like hers, and he joked he would ‘floss my teeth with it.’ Again, his comment was meant for a teenage audience and was met with laughter. 

“He then asked the student, ‘Have you ever flossed with your hair?’” the statement continued. “Laughing, she shook her head, no. He then said, ‘Well, you have the perfect length for it,’ as he lifted up a lock from her shoulders to show her its length. She giggled along with the others.”

When the girl returned home and recounted the story, however, her father “became upset by what he heard and called the police,” Burke said in the statement.

“The police arrived at the parish during the event and, after questioning the students, left without making any arrests or filing charges. It was only after the outraged father called the police a second time, insisting that they charge Fr. Martins with battery, that the police agreed to further investigate,” the statement said.

“There is no indication that any new evidence has been uncovered that would implicate Fr. Martins of any wrongdoing. To date, no charges have been filed,” Burke added.

Burke said this fuller context was missing from initial news reports about the police investigation, which she claimed left the erroneous impression that the allegation involved sexual misconduct, which is not the case. 

“Fr. Carlos Martins is a well-respected priest, in good standing with the Catholic Church, and held in high esteem on account of his evangelical and educational work,” Burke said in the statement to CNA.

“In his 15 years as priest, he has never once been accused of or involved in any form of scandal or impropriety,” she said.

In a statement posted on the Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church parish website, Father Michael Lane, the parish moderator, and Father Gregory Alberts, the parochial vicar, said the relic visit to the parish was canceled after “an incident with the priest and some students was reported to have happened in our church.”

“We immediately contacted the police,” the priests said. “A police investigation is still ongoing. The priest was confronted with the information. We informed the priest that he must depart from our parish and out of our diocese.”

The two priests said they further informed Joliet Bishop Ronald Hicks, who “canceled the tour of the relic scheduled at two more of our parishes this week.”

The bishop “also informed the superior of the Companions of the Cross Order of priests” of the incident.

Temporary suspension 

The Companions of the Cross Order proceeded to temporarily suspend Father Martins' ministry, a suspension which Father Martins' lawyer says “is standard practice for the order when questions of wrongdoing are raised."

Regarding the police investigation, Father Martins' attorney further clarified that there is no indication that there is an ongoing investigation. "We have never been informed first hand that Father Martins is under any type of ongoing investigation."

The attorney added that Father Martins "has never received a call from police. We stand ready to fully cooperate with law enforcement should they reach out to us. That said, Father Martins has engaged in no form of wrongdoing, criminal or otherwise, and any suggestion of any wrongdoing is pure speculation.”

The referenced statement by Father Lane and Father Alberts did not identify the priest by name, though the Pillar website on Saturday evening reported that the priest was Martins, who is the director of Treasures of the Church, a ministry focused on the veneration of relics.

On Sunday CNA could not immediately confirm whether Martins was the priest referenced in the statement by Father Lane and Father Alberts. Reached by CNA on Sunday afternoon, Martins declined to comment.

This story was updated with new information from Father Carlos Martins’ attorney on Nov. 26.

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