Priest removed from ministry after allegations of abuse

GRANGER, Wash. (AP) — A Catholic priest in the Yakima Valley town of Granger has been removed from all public ministry following allegations by a young man that the priest sexually abused him.

The Catholic Diocese of Yakima said Monday that it took the action against the Rev. Gustavo Gomez Santos from Our Lady of Guadalupe parish.

The Yakima Herald-Republic says the 21-year-old victim, a former Mattawa resident, told the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office the priest had fondled him five or six years earlier when Gomez Santos was serving in a church in the town of Cowiche.

The priest denies the allegations. Santos was placed on leave on May 5.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will review the case to determine if he should remain permanently removed from ministry or face other punishment.