Fr. Carlos Martins’ lawyer accuses The Pillar of defamation

CV NEWS FEED // A lawyer for a prominent priest has accused The Pillar of defamation after the Catholic media outlet reported on an alleged “boundary violation” on the part of the priest, which the diocese where the incident took place had later explained was “non-sexual” in nature.

Queen of Apostles Catholic Church in the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, was hosting Fr. Carlos Martins’ “Treasures of the Church” St. Jude relic tour Nov. 21 when the incident happened. The relic ministry is a non-profit organization led by Fr. Martins, a well-known exorcist priest and member of the Companions of the Cross religious order. 

The St. Jude relic tour was commissioned by the Holy See.

A Nov. 23 parish statement announced that the tour had been canceled over “an incident with the priest and some students.” The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the incident, but reported that there was an ongoing police investigation. It also stated that all those who were involved were safe.

“In an abundance of caution, we decided that the remainder of the veneration of the relic and evening mass would be cancelled,” the parish stated. “These decisions and actions were in accordance with our Diocesan Safe Environment Policies and our Standards of Behavior.” The parish also stated that the incident was reported to Bishop Ronald Hicks of the Diocese of Joliet.

Later, the diocese confirmed to investigative journalist Christine Niles that the incident was a “boundary violation” that was not of a sexual nature. 

A cease-and-desist letter filed this week against the news outlet The Pillar gives Fr. Martins’ account of the incident. 

“On November 21, 2024, Queen of Apostles Parish in the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, hosted Fr. Martins to share the relic of St. Jude for public veneration. The parish invited its school to attend,” Fr. Martins’ lawyer, Marcella Burke, wrote in the letter published online. In the letter, Burke accused The Pillar’s editors of defaming Fr. Martins because of how the outlet initially reported on the parish statement. 

The Pillar’s initial Nov. 23 report stated that the relic tour had been halted “while the priest organizing the tour faces an Illinois police investigation over inappropriate conduct with children.” 

The cease-and-desist letter stated: “Over 200 students attended the event, which was hosted in St. Paul church,” one of two worship sites under the care of the Queen of Apostles Parish.

“All the facts surrounding The Pillar’s reporting happened in front of a large group of people encompassing multiple grades,” the statement continued. “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.”

“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.”

“She giggled along with the others. He was building rapport,” Burke wrote. 

According to Burke, the student later told her father about the interaction after school, and he, “apparently, became infuriated by what he heard, calling the police.” 

“The police arrived at the parish during the event and, after questioning the students, left without making any arrests or filing charges,” Burke continued. “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. There is no indication that there is any new evidence that would further implicate my client of any wrongdoing. To date, no charges have been filed.”

Niles later reached out again to the diocese and asked why the initial parish statement did not state that no crime had been committed, and why the statement did not clarify that the incident was not sexual in nature.

She reported that a diocesan spokesperson responded Nov. 25: “The police informed the parish and Diocese on Thursday, November 21 that their initial investigation found no evidence of a crime having occurred. On Friday, November 22 the police informed the parish and Diocese they decided to investigate further. At the time the parish and Diocese issued a statement on Saturday, November 23, we considered the police investigation to be on-going. It is indeed an on-going investigation today.”  

Niles said that the diocesan communications office went on to state: “All information in the parish and Diocesan statements posted on websites on Saturday, November 23 was accurate and remains accurate. The speculations of others is not within our control.”

According to a Nov. 25 publication in The Pillar, the Diocese of Joliet informed the outlet that Fr. Martins’ lawyer’s summary of the incident was “accurate but incomplete,” and that there were “additional facts” in the case.

The Diocese of Joliet was unavailable to provide CatholicVote with a comment prior to publication.

Since The Pillar’s controversial first report on the matter, many have taken issue with the publication’s use of the phrase “inappropriate conduct with children,” arguing that it suggested predatory or sexually abusive behavior. In addition, the outlet failed to include the word “alleged” before the above phrase, only adding that word after the article’s initial publication.

On Nov. 26, the editor-in-chief of The Pillar, JD Flynn, responded to those who took offense at the way his outlet had reported the incident, particularly those who had asked for an apology. In his statement, he did not address the concern over the reference to “inappropriate conduct with children.”

“I think ‘alleged inappropriate conduct’ is an apt descriptor for a scenario in which someone calls the police on you,” Flynn wrote. “I don’t think that means the allegation has been proven, and I don’t think people should presume, by that phrase, that we’re implying the worst possible thing they can possibly imagine. That’s just not rational. If someone picks up the phone to call the cops about you, they’re alleging your alleged conduct was allegedly not appropriate. That’s how it is.”

Fr. Martins’ religious order, the Companions of the Holy Cross, released the following statement regarding the suspension of the relic tour: “The ministry of Fr. Carlos Martins has been temporarily suspended pending an ongoing police investigation into a recent complaint at one of his relic expositions that took place in the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.” 

The statement later added, “We ask for your prayers for all parties involved.”

On Nov. 26, actor and director Mel Gibson sent a message to Marcella Burke, Fr. Martins’ lawyer, defending the priest against what Gibson called the “reckless allegations.”

Gibson told Burke she could publicize his remarks in defense of Fr. Martins “far and wide.”

This is a developing story.