A summary of this story was republished by El Tiempo Latino. Puedes leer un resumen de este artículo en español aquí.

A D.C. Catholic priest has been found guilty of sexually abusing an adult woman during her confession, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for D.C. Father Urbano Vazquez was serving at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Columbia Heights at the time of the incident.

This crime is in addition to two previous instances of sex abuse, those involving minors – a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year old girl – of which Father Vazquez was found guilty in 2019. He is currently serving 15 years in prison as a result of those, and Judge Juliet McKenna with the D.C. Superior Court sentenced him to an additional 180 days in prison for the new conviction, the maximum sentence allowable.

Vazquez abused the woman, who was not identified, in April 2017 during a confession at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, twice touching her chest without her consent, as well as talking about her appearance and her marital status, according to the release.

Prosecutors say the woman told her mother at the time of the abuse, who suggested that she stay away from Vazquez.  The following year, when reports surfaced accusing Vazquez of sexually abusing children, the woman disclosed the abuse to another Shrine of the Sacred Heart priest. That priest notified law enforcement.

Vazquez was originally charged with groping a 13-year old girl in November 2018. Court documents at the time also included additional accusers, including a 16-year-old girl who said she was kissed against her will. The adult woman who was abused in the confessional and a 9-year-old girl came forward with additional allegations after his first arrest, resulting in a second arrest. 

A total of two women and four girls have accused Vazquez of sexual abuse, but two of the girls’ accusations were beyond the statute of limitations. Charges were not brought against Vazquez for the instance of him allegedly kissing a woman against her consent.

“We continue to work with the Shrine of the Sacred Heart parish and school leadership to ensure that this community is supported and that the survivors who came forward to report the allegations are provided emotional and pastoral care through this difficult time as they continue in their process of healing,” a representative from the Washington Archdiocese said in an emailed statement.

The Shrine of the Sacred Heart did not immediately return a request for comment.

This post has been updated with a statement from the Washington Archdiocese.

The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office has a hotline and email address for survivors seeking to report abuse by a clergy member. Survivors can dial 202-252-7008 and offer their report in English or Spanish, or email USADC.ReportClergyAbuse@usdoj.gov.