Catholic influencer denies claims of 'grooming' underage girl: 'Complete fabrication'
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Catholic apologist Alex Jurado, known as Voice of Reason on social media. / Credit: Courtesy of Alexandro JuradoCNA Staff, Jul 15, 2025 / 15:28 pm (CNA).Alex Jurado, a popular Catholic apologist known for his social media ministry Voice of Reason, is denying allegations in a bombshell report that he sexually groomed an underage teenage girl when he was 21 years old.The Protestant website Protestia on Monday published a report alleging that "whistleblowers within the Catholic community" had revealed sexually explicit texts Jurado, now 28, allegedly sent to a girl possibly as young as 14 years old.The website shared screenshots of the alleged conversations between Jurado and the young girl. The site further alleged that Jurado had sent "sexually explicit messages" to several other women. Jurado sharply denied the allegations on Tuesday. The influencer said in a statement on his Instagram page that the claims were untrue and that he is "voluntarily cooperating in an investiga...
Catholic apologist Alex Jurado, known as Voice of Reason on social media. / Credit: Courtesy of Alexandro Jurado
CNA Staff, Jul 15, 2025 / 15:28 pm (CNA).
Alex Jurado, a popular Catholic apologist known for his social media ministry Voice of Reason, is denying allegations in a bombshell report that he sexually groomed an underage teenage girl when he was 21 years old.
The Protestant website Protestia on Monday published a report alleging that "whistleblowers within the Catholic community" had revealed sexually explicit texts Jurado, now 28, allegedly sent to a girl possibly as young as 14 years old.
The website shared screenshots of the alleged conversations between Jurado and the young girl. The site further alleged that Jurado had sent "sexually explicit messages" to several other women.
Jurado sharply denied the allegations on Tuesday. The influencer said in a statement on his Instagram page that the claims were untrue and that he is "voluntarily cooperating in an investigation that will allow the truth to come to light."
"??[T]he accusation that I was having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl is a complete fabrication," he said.
He added that he is "prepared to undergo legal action against those who have defamed me," describing the allegations as an "awful and vicious rumor."
In his statement, the content creator went on to apologize to all those who have "been hurt, shocked, and scandalized by these rumors."
Amid the controversy, several Catholic outlets, including Catholic Answers and Catholic Speakers, appeared to have removed pages featuring Jurado on their websites as of Tuesday afternoon.
Neither website immediately responded to requests for comment on the apparent removals. Jurado also did not respond to a query from CNA.
Jurado began his Voice of Reason social media ministry in 2023. The influencer has over half a million followers across his social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
His content is primarily apologetical, sharing and defending the faith and engaging with other non-Catholic points of view. As a Byzantine Catholic, he also promotes the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church.
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Pope Leo XIV visits the Poor Clares of Albano on July 15, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Jul 15, 2025 / 19:07 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV made his first "getaway" from Castel Gandolfo to visit the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception of the Poor Clares of Albano, located within the Papal Villas.After celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning in the chapel of the Carabinieri station in Castel Gandolfo, where he is staying during his vacation, Pope Leo headed to the nearby monastery, where he was warmly welcomed by the nuns.The pontiff paused in prayer in the monastery chapel, sharing a moment of silence and contemplation with the sisters, whom he later greeted one by one, emphasizing that "it is beautiful that the Church knows your life, because it is a valuable testimony."The encounter generated various images of tenderness, reflected in the joyful and grateful faces of the Sisters of St. Clare, whose mission is to pray for the pope, for the Church, and for all of Vatican...
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Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski serves on the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. / Credit: "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo"/EWTN News screenshotWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 15, 2025 / 12:53 pm (CNA).With the Trump administration having "effectively achieved control of the border," Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski is now urging the president and Congress to turn to expanding legal pathways for unlawfully present migrants who have committed no other crimes to obtain citizenship.In a statement and interview with archdiocesan media, Wenski argued that the U.S. "faces labor shortages in many industries, including health care, service, and agriculture. Removing immigrant workers will only exacerbate these shortages.""Rather than spending billions to deport people who are already contributing positively to our nation's well-being, it would be more financially sensible and more morally acceptable for Congress, working with the administration,...
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Father Juan Carlos Garcia-Mendoza, a priest in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, will serve seven years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sex abuse. / Credit: Courtesy of the Franklin Police DepartmentCNA Staff, Jul 15, 2025 / 13:23 pm (CNA).A priest in the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, will serve seven years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of sex abuse.Father Juan Carlos Garcia-Mendoza was indicted last year on several counts of sexual battery and other crimes, some of which involved children and some adults. The priest was charged with eight crimes in February 2024 and two more in June of that year.The Diocese of Nashville said in the Nashville Catholic this week that Garcia had pleaded guilty to the February charges. Those crimes include "continuous sexual abuse of a child," aggravated sexual battery, and "sexual battery by an authority figure." In addition to the prison sentence, the priest will be listed in the state sex of...
