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Father Carlos Martins, a well-known exorcist who earlier this year was charged with battery after an incident at a relic exposition in November, was cleared of all charges July 30.
Fr. Martins’ attorneys issued a statement, saying, “This is exactly the result we were expecting.”
“What he was charged with was simply absurd. This was a case that never should have been brought forward,” Marcella Burke, chairman of Burke Law Group, stated. “The court’s ruling is a full vindication of Fr. Martins’ innocence from the beginning of any and all criminal wrongdoing.”
According to a news release from Burke Law Group, the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office in Illinois has dismissed all criminal charges it had filed against Fr. Martins and closed the case. As CatholicVote previously reported, Fr. Martins had been charged Jan. 22 over allegations that he touched a girl’s hair at a Diocese of Joliet parish that was hosting his “Treasures of the Church” St. Jude relic tour.
The charges stated that Fr. Martins “knowingly without legal justification by any means made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with I.K., a minor, in that said defendant placed the hair of I.K. in his mouth.”
According to the release, however, the incident was a “misunderstanding” that was “initially mischaracterized and distorted” by multiple news outlets. Fr. Martins pleaded not guilty to the charges Jan. 27 and maintained his innocence. He put his pastoral ministry and relic apostolate on hold while the case proceeded.
In the release, Fr. Martins expressed his gratitude that the charges against him have been dismissed.
“I am deeply grateful to all who offered their prayers and support during this time,” he said. “I am thankful for the truth coming to light and look forward to resuming my ministry and continuing to preach the Gospel.”
Patrick Kenneally, a defense attorney at Burke Law Group, remarked, “Since the beginning, we have maintained that Fr. Martins has been completely innocent of all wrongdoing. His character and vocation were wrongly called into question. We’re grateful the justice system corrected this mistake.”
As CatholicVote reported, Burke had provided more details of the incident in a cease-and-desist letter last year to The Pillar, in which she accused the outlet of defaming Fr. Martins in its coverage of the event.
“As he always does, Fr. Martins began his interaction with the attendees in ‘chit-chat’ dialogue, the letter stated. “He is bald and apt to joke about it as a conversation starter.”
The letter continued, “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 met with laughter. He then asked the student, ‘Have you ever flossed with your hair?’ 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.”
Stella Maris Media reported that Fr. Martins was the one who decided to withdraw from his ministry; his order, the Companions of the Cross, did not suspend him from it. The outlet asked Father Roger Vandenakker, general superior of the order, whether Fr. Martins would resume his ministry now that the charges have been dropped. Fr. Vandenakker reportedly responded that “it will take some time for us to process this court decision and to decide how to proceed.”
