3rd parishioner testifies that priest groped her as a child

WASHINGTON – A third parishioner has testified that a Washington, D.C., priest groped her as a child, first caressing her thigh during a “face-to-face” confession and then groping her chest.

The 47-year-old priest Urbano Vazquez is on trial on child sex abuse charges.

The Washington Post reports the 18-year-old woman told the court that Vazquez first touched her thigh when she was 13 in spring 2015. She testified that weeks later, Vazquez shoved his hand into her bra as she sat in a church office. Another woman testified Vazquez kissed her when she was 16 in 2015, a year after he was ordained. And a 12-year-old girl testified that Vazquez groped and kissed her when she was 9 and 10.

The priest’s lawyer says the allegations are fabricated and lack common sense.

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This story has been corrected to throughout to show the 18-year-old woman told the court the priest first touched her in 2015, not 2016.

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Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com