(LifeSiteNews) – After a respected Catholic news source, The Pillar, published an article that seemed to imply a famous exorcist was being investigated by police for sexual misconduct with a minor, his attorney sent a blistering letter to the outlet saying its story is “defamatory and entirely irresponsible in terms of what it suggests” and may have needlessly, irreparably damaged the reputation of a priest who is held in high regard.
The Pillar’s Friday headline, St. Jude relic tour suspended over police investigation, immediately inflamed suspicions and fears of yet another high-profile member of Catholic clergy having been caught in an act of pederasty.
The article identified Fr. Carlos Martins as the object of the investigation. In addition to leading the nationwide tour of the St. Jude relic as a means to rekindle faith and evangelize, Fr. Martin serves as an esteemed exorcist and is host of the popular podcast, The Exorcist Files.
Not only was the nationwide tour of the St. Jude relic brought to a screeching halt, Fr. Martins’ religious community, Companions of the Cross, has “temporarily suspended” his priestly ministry.
Conservative commentator Rod Dreher, who at first reposted The Pillar report on X, quickly deleted his initial response to the story and later explained, “I deleted a tweet abt Father Martins, based on my inaccurate reading of the Pillar Catholic report.”
“You might assume, as I initially did, that “inappropriate conduct involving children” involves sexual misconduct. It’s not true. It’s not remotely true!” Dreher wrote in a subsequent Substack article. “I can assure you that this is nonsense. As we will all soon know, it’s an example of an innocent Catholic priest held up to humiliation and contempt, including by Catholic authorities, in a hysterical overreaction by people eager to believe the worst about all priests.”
Fr. Martins’ attorney, Marcella Burke, demanded that The Pillar retract its story. As of this writing, the story remains on The Pillar’s website. A follow-up article published November 25 mentions the attorney letter but does not back down from the initial report.
The letter, addressed to The Pillar’s editors, claims that the article about Fr. Martins “is defamatory and entirely irresponsible in terms of what it suggests.”
“The Pillar must immediately cease and desist its illegal defamation, slander, or libel of Fr. Martins,” the letter insists.
The attorney letter explains that Fr. Martins did nothing more than innocently touch a girl’s hair while in the presence of over 200 other students, their teachers, and chaperones while making a joke about his own baldness.
“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 hairstyle,’ 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,’” recounted Martins’ attorney, who continued:
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. The student came home and told her father the story. 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. 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.
Martins’ attorney said that “The Pillar and its editors entirely ignored these facts that were readily ascertainable through any preliminary investigation.”
Instead, The Pillar may have defamed Fr. Martins by insinuating he engaged in sexual crimes with children at the parish. The statements that The Pillar and its individual reporters and editors made include, but are not limited to, accusations that Fr. Martins is involved in a “police investigation” while failing to note that the initial investigation found No fault. The salacious headline accusing Fr. Martins of “alleged inappropriate conduct involving children.” The article goes on to describe an “incident involving students” at the parish, with no reference to the nature of the public audience or that the incident consisted of a conversation that took place in full view of many. Instead, The Pillar insinuates that the children were alone with Fr. Martins when the truth was that all interactions with children took place in a classroom setting with teachers, clergy, parish staff, and volunteers present. This misinformation is so obviously damaging to Fr. Martins’s personal and professional character and reputation by implying that Fr. Martins behavior mirrors other instances of clergy abuse, a deplorable allusion that in no way reflects the facts. In addition to being defamatory, these statements may also constitute a violation of canon law which protects a priest’s good name and reputation.
The Pillar takes its position against Fr. Martins with complete disregard to whether he is guilty or not guilty of such a crime. Although The Pillar claims to be focused on investigative journalism, it disregards the due process rights Fr. Martins has under secular and canon law.
Fr. Martins has been a guest on LifeSiteNews podcasts multiple times to discuss exorcism, the reality of Satan, his presence within the Church, and how the battle for the Culture of Life has raged for thousands of years in the timeless struggle of good vs evil.
Martins has also discussed how the U.S. tour of St. Jude’s relics that he has led for more than a year has touched thousands of lives, inspiring faith through miraculous healings and profound encounters with the relics of St. Jude.
Regarding the current high-stakes legal drama being played out very publicly, Dreher offers this take:
You should know that veteran exorcists are used to this kind of thing. Another exorcist of my acquaintance endured a false claim along the lines of what Father Martins now suffers. The Enemy will take any opportunity he can to destroy exorcists. You will all know exactly what I’m talking about when police file the results of their investigation, and I report it here. The Diocese of Joliet has a shameful record of abuse and cover-up, which no doubt accounts for its throwing poor Father Martins to the dogs over an absurd and malicious accusation.
Again: you’ll see. Wait. Withhold judgment. As I see it, this is another case of a blameless priest having to pay the price for the crimes of abuser priests, and the longstanding, contemptible indifference of Catholic bishops.
As one online commentator noted regarding the ongoing Fr. Martins/The Pillar story, some accusers and chancery officials simply have “itchy trigger fingers.”