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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Bishop Simon Peter Engurait was installed on Sept. 5, 2025, as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana during a ceremony at Nicholls State University. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Houma-ThibodauxWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 9, 2025 / 14:14 pm (CNA).Bishop Simon Peter Engurait was ordained last week, making him the first African bishop in the mainland United States. On Sept. 5, Engurait was installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana during a ceremony at Nicholls State University. Engurait was appointed in June by Pope Leo XIV after working as administrator of the diocese since January 2024. He had also previously served as the vicar general and as the pastor of St. Bridget Parish since 2017. "I am humbled beyond words that the Holy Father has chosen me, not from outside, but from among the ranks of the priests of this beloved diocese," Enguarit said after being appointed.The diocese reported tha...
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St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. / Credit: travelview/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Sep 9, 2025 / 14:53 pm (CNA).After the Archdiocese of New Orleans increased its settlement offer to clergy sexual abuse claimants from $180 million to $230 million on Sept. 8, attorneys of the victims urged their clients to accept the deal.The archdiocese was able to increase its initial offer, announced in May, after securing a buyer for the $50 million sale of Christopher Homes, a property that has provided affordable housing and assisted living to low-income and senior citizens in the Gulf Coast area for the last 50 years."We knew we could do better, and we have," said attorneys Richard Trahant, Soren Gisleson, John Denenea, and several other attorneys who represent about 200 of the 660 claimants.The attorneys, who said the initial settlement was "dead on arrival," urged their clients to hold out for a better offer, saying that they deserved closer to $300 million, a figure similar to the $323 mi...
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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. / Credit: Latin Patriarchate of JerusalemACI Prensa Staff, Sep 9, 2025 / 15:23 pm (CNA).The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said violence in the Gaza Strip is the result of years of dehumanizing rhetoric and called for the replacement of hateful language with speech that opens horizons and new paths.Pizzaballa issued this call in a video message released during the Venice Film Festival, where the Silver Lion prize was awarded to Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania's film "The Voice of Hind Rajab," which recounts the last moments of a 5-year-old girl killed in 2024 in Gaza."You've already heard the news, so there's no need to delve into the dramatic daily story of what we're experiencing. The images are also very significant; unfortunately, they speak of destruction, of death, of so much pain. One of the problems we're experiencing is precisely this: We're so overwhelmed by pain that there seems to be no room for...
