A scandal shakes the Archdiocese of Lima following complaints against the diocesan priest Marco Antonio Agüero Vidal for alleged improper touching during the sacrament of confession. At least five women have filed complaints with civil authorities in a case that is already in the hands of the Public Ministry.
According to information gathered by Infobae from police records, the accusations indicate that the alleged touchings would have occurred inside the Nuestra Señora de la Alegría parish, in the Lima district of San Borja, in the context of the sacrament of confession. The priest, who denies the accusations, was detained by the police after an altercation between the faithful in front of the temple.
Five complaints and the role of the faithful
The lawyer for the complainants, Valeria Cabrera, confirmed that there are currently five formal complaints for alleged improper touching. Two of the complainants are adults and the rest are minors represented by their parents. It should be noted, as relevant data, that in Peru the legislation recognizes the age of majority from 17 years old.
According to statements gathered by sources close to Infovatica, it is known that several young women began to recount to parish group coordinators uncomfortable situations that would have occurred during confession since last year. Agüero —who was appointed to the Nuestra Señora de la Alegría parish in August 2025— did not use the temple’s usual confessional, but preferred a place at the back of the church with little visibility, where he placed two very close chairs.
“Several girls from the youth group approached me to tell me that, when they went to confess, the father would bring his chair closer and touch their leg,” recounts one of the youth pastoral coordinators.
The young women began to share these experiences among youth pastoral coordinators and, subsequently, with their parents. From that moment on, the families decided to try to resolve the situation first through the Church’s regular channels.
Previous complaint ignored by Castillo
According to the documentation, to which Infovaticana has had access, members of the parish community sent a letter on December 1, 2025, to the chancellery of the Archdiocese of Lima requesting the removal of the priest.
The document, which was also sent to Cardinal Carlos Castillo, Archbishop of Lima, to the Apostolic Nunciature, and to the Listening Commission —created by the Archdiocese itself to receive abuse complaints— already warned about testimonies from young women who reported improper touching during confession, in addition to a detailed description of cases of liturgical abuse attributed to the same priest.
![Document sent to the Archdiocese of Lima on 01.12.2025 [page 2 of 14]](https://infovaticana.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/INFOVATICANA_1599-2-464x600.png)
The signatories expressly requested that the facts be investigated and that the priest be removed from his position before the situation worsened. However, according to community members, they received no response. The silence of the archdiocese was then evident in a case that, in the opinion of the complainants, required immediate attention.
The altercation that unleashed the scandal
Faced with the evident silence of Castillo and the ecclesiastical institutions, on Tuesday, March 2, a group of parents of the alleged victims went to the parish to peacefully ask the priest for explanations.
According to witnesses cited by the Peruvian media Exitosa, the encounter between the complainants and a group of parishioners —whom Agüero would have gathered previously— led to moments of tension and verbal confrontations, which prompted police intervention.
The priest was taken to the police station as an intervenor. However, after regaining his freedom in the morning, he returned to the parish and celebrated Mass, which generated surprise among several faithful.
During the course of the same day, Castillo appointed Father Richard Vélez as the new parish administrator without mentioning Agüero’s fate or the measures the Archdiocese will take regarding the case.
Liturgical abuses and tensions in the parish
Marco Agüero had already been surrounded by controversy previously. In 2023, faithful from the San Ricardo parish, in the Diocese of Chiclayo, staged public protests requesting his departure due to pastoral and doctrinal conflicts, an episode that was covered by local media. In response to this, Castillo received him in Lima and appointed him to the Nuestra Señora de la Alegría parish where today he is again involved in complaints from the faithful.
The letter sent in December 2025 also included other pastoral and liturgical concerns, among them changes in the celebration of Mass, doctrinal confusion in some catecheses, and tensions in the organization of parish groups.
Some faithful denounced, for example, situations they considered irreverent in the celebration of the sacraments or pastoral interpretations that generated confusion among the youth. In statements to Exitosa, a young man states that «he is accused of straying from Catholic doctrine, mentioning a lot the use of synodality to omit some Eucharistic respects».
Awaiting an official response
For the moment, the Archdiocese has not offered a public explanation on the management of the case or on the previously filed complaints. However, according to Infobae, the Archdiocese of Lima has confirmed that it is aware of what happened and is preparing an official statement on the case.