Priest Eduardo Martín Clemens, until now parish priest of Santa Cruz and episcopal delegate for Missions of the Archdiocese of Seville, has resigned from his pastoral responsibilities after a Peruvian man accused him of having sexually abused him in 1998, when he was 14 years old. The priest, aged 80, categorically denies the facts and maintains that he is being subjected to financial blackmail by the complainant, whom he acknowledges having given approximately 80,000 euros over the past few years.
The accusation was published by El País, which gathered the complainant’s testimony and examined documentation relating to the money transfers. According to his account, the alleged abuses occurred in Trujillo (Peru), where Martín Clemens carried out part of his missionary work. The man filed a complaint with the Archdiocese of Seville last August.
The priest denies the abuses and claims he has been blackmailed
After the accusations became known, Martín Clemens issued a statement rejecting having committed any sexual conduct against the complainant.
«I must clarify that I have not committed any aggression, nor violence, and of course no type of harassment,» the priest stated, who said he received the accusations «with pain and bewilderment.»
The religious acknowledges that he maintained a relationship of financial assistance with the complainant, but denies that the payments were intended to buy his silence. According to his version, the man requested money from him on numerous occasions to meet family needs and he agreed to help him for years.
«The person accusing me has requested large amounts of money from me on many occasions over the last decade, always as family assistance. When I could no longer continue helping, he began blackmail with his threat to inform the religious authorities to obtain financial benefit,» he maintains in the statement.
Martín Clemens states that the Archdiocese of Seville is aware of the situation and expresses his willingness to cooperate in clarifying the facts.
More than 80,000 euros in transfers
The complainant, identified by his initials L. B. and currently 43 years old, maintains that he met the priest when he was a teenager in Peru. According to his testimony, Martín Clemens convinced him to travel from Chimbote to Trujillo, where he claims he suffered the abuses.
The man states that the payments received over the past few years were related to what happened and that the priest intended to prevent him from making the facts public. As support for his account, he has provided receipts for transfers and postal money orders.
The documentation examined by El País includes 56 transactions carried out through Western Union, in addition to other bank transfers. The priest himself acknowledges having given an amount exceeding 80,000 euros, although he insists that it was financial assistance to a person in need.
The versions of both parties therefore differ, both regarding the alleged abuses and the purpose of the transfers.
Resignation as parish priest and delegate for Missions
Martín Clemens has also confirmed that he has left his responsibilities as parish priest of Santa Cruz and episcopal delegate for Missions of Seville, although he disassociates this decision from the accusations.
According to his explanation, he had requested his relief from the archbishop upon reaching the retirement age established for parish priests and due to the deterioration of his health, especially during the last few months.
«Upon turning 75 and, especially, this summer due to the deterioration of my health, I submitted my resignation,» he states in his communiqué.
The priest assures that the resignation has taken effect this week and that he will not make any further statements so as not to hinder the corresponding procedure.
A long missionary career in Peru
Eduardo Martín Clemens was ordained a priest in 1975 and celebrated his fifty years of priestly ministry last December. During his career he has held various responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Seville, including those of parish priest, vice-rector of the seminary, and delegate for Youth Ministry.
In 1992 he moved to Peru, where he developed intense missionary activity and served as rector of the Major Seminary of San Marcelo in Trujillo.
During his stay in the country, he coincided with Robert Francis Prevost, current Pope Leo XIV, who was then carrying out his ministry as an Augustinian religious and missionary in Peru.
After returning to Spain, Martín Clemens assumed new pastoral responsibilities, including the direction of diocesan missionary activity. In 2013 he was appointed canon of Seville Cathedral and subsequently served as parish priest of Santa Cruz.
The priest has announced that he will remain at the disposal of ecclesiastical authorities for the clarification of the accusations, while the complainant demands that the facts he claims to have suffered when he was a minor be investigated.