Rolando Garcia, a Miami, Florida catholic priest, announced recently that he plans to resign from his position at the St. Agatha Catholic Church following allegations that he sexually abused a number of young boys over the last two decades, news sources indicate. During his 26 years of priesthood, Garcia has had three lawsuits filed against him, all of which claimed he had sexually abused a young boy; however, it does not appear that Garcia has ever been criminally charged. An investigation into the purported abuse may be underway at this time and may result in legal charges being filed. It is not yet known whether Garcia has hired a lawyer.
Reports say the Archdiocese of Miami, Florida first ordained Garcia as a priest in 1986. Over a decade later, in 2001, he became the pastor of the St. Agatha's Catholic Church in West Miami-Dade County. Over the past 10 years, Garcia has faced three lawsuits from former church members accusing him of sexual abuse, reports indicate. The first suit sprang up in October when a church member, now and adult, alleged that Garcia had sexual contact with him when he was a minor, reports say. Further details of the allegations are not available. The Archbishop placed Garcia on administrative leave following those allegations, but he was reinstated after a private investigation purportedly determined that Garcia was innocent.
Garcia fell under investigation by the Archbishop again in August when another man filed a lawsuit claiming the pastor had sexually abused him when he was a child, sources indicate. Again, little else is known about the charges, and an investigation carried out by the Archbishop determined those allegations were not reliable. Garcia retained his position as pastor with the church following that determination.
The latest lawsuit, filed in October, also claims that Garcia sexually abused a young man. The abuse allegedly lasted for a period of nine years, from 1994 to 2003, while the victim was a teenager. The victim purportedly says that Garcia only stopped the abuse because the victim joined the armed forces and was deployed to the Iraqi Warfront. It is not yet known whether the Archbishop has investigated these latest allegations or if he has commented on them publicly.