Ohio Catholic priest convicted abusing churchgoing minors into adulthood, grooming them for commercial sex trafficking

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
33,308
36,624
Los Angeles Area
✟830,534.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
A Catholic priest in Ohio was convicted Friday on five counts of sex trafficking charges related to three victims, two of whom were minors when first sexually abused.

A trial went underway that presented evidence of Zacharias paying victims to engage in sex acts with him, using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance. The evidence showed Zacharias first meeting his victims when they were young boys, and he was a Seminarian at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish school in Toledo, Ohio.

Zacharias then began to groom the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said. The grooming process involved a gradual increase in more sexualizing conversations.

The victims testified that they submitted to Zacharias’ commercial sex solicitations because they feared the psychological harm of losing Zacharias as a father figure and friend, losing their connection to the Church and God, and suffering the painful symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Pommer

CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN

My dad died 1/12/2023. I'm still devastated.
Jul 1, 2007
17,286
5,060
Native Land
✟332,255.00
Country
United States
Faith
Seeker
Marital Status
Single
Politics
US-Others
Sadly, it you're a pedophile or rapists. Being a priest, church leader, teacher, boss or therapist is a good place to take advantage of people.
 
Upvote 0

rjs330

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
May 22, 2015
22,575
6,074
64
✟337,567.00
Faith
Pentecostal
A Catholic priest in Ohio was convicted Friday on five counts of sex trafficking charges related to three victims, two of whom were minors when first sexually abused.

A trial went underway that presented evidence of Zacharias paying victims to engage in sex acts with him, using the victims’ fear of serious harm to compel their compliance. The evidence showed Zacharias first meeting his victims when they were young boys, and he was a Seminarian at St. Catherine’s Catholic Parish school in Toledo, Ohio.

Zacharias then began to groom the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said. The grooming process involved a gradual increase in more sexualizing conversations.

The victims testified that they submitted to Zacharias’ commercial sex solicitations because they feared the psychological harm of losing Zacharias as a father figure and friend, losing their connection to the Church and God, and suffering the painful symptoms of opioid withdrawal.
This is precisely why you shouldn't leave your kids alone with another adult without other supervision.

We are far too trusting.

This guy deserves the death penalty.
 
  • Winner
Reactions: Larniavc
Upvote 0

rambot

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2006
24,823
13,408
Up your nose....wid a rubbah hose.
✟368,230.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
Politics
CA-Greens
This is precisely why you shouldn't leave your kids alone with another adult without other supervision.

We are far too trusting.
I disagree.
I think we should be a trusting society.
But that we should also be responding appropriately when we see patterns of behaviour in certain populations.
 
Upvote 0

rjs330

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
May 22, 2015
22,575
6,074
64
✟337,567.00
Faith
Pentecostal
I disagree.
I think we should be a trusting society.
But that we should also be responding appropriately when we see patterns of behaviour in certain populations.

Well we should be more trusting, but as we are seeing over and over again we can't be. We can't just blindly trust anyone anymore with our kids.

 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
33,308
36,624
Los Angeles Area
✟830,534.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Well we should be more trusting
Why?

I'm glad you've come to the realization that you can't, but why *should* we be more trusting with people interacting with our kids? Don't we get references for babysitters? Why is it generally okay to let youth pastors interact with children without the parents around, but it's an outrage that children go to drag queen story time with their parents in attendance?
 
Upvote 0

rjs330

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
May 22, 2015
22,575
6,074
64
✟337,567.00
Faith
Pentecostal
Why?

I'm glad you've come to the realization that you can't, but why *should* we be more trusting with people interacting with our kids? Don't we get references for babysitters? Why is it generally okay to let youth pastors interact with children without the parents around, but it's an outrage that children go to drag queen story time with their parents in attendance?
It's the same principle as we should be able to leave our doors unlocked or our cars. We should be able to take our kids to the park without having to check for needles. But we can't.

The difference between youth pastors and queens are the queens have told us outright what their purpose is which is to sexualize and groom kids to experiment sexually and be queer. All of them. Their expressed goals is to break mores, have sex with whomever, show their but cheeks for pictures, teach kids how wonderful it is to be queer and live a life of debauchery.

Youth pastors purpose is to teach kids to be strong Christians and serve the Lord. That's their purpose. The fact that some evil people have infiltrated into the position should make us wary and wise. Even the apostles warned us about men like that and that they would come and we are supposed to be watching out for them. The you pastor profession just like all clergy is high calling. Filled with honor. But also have wolves who came among them from time to time, but does not remove the purpose.

If rolls were reversed we would be saying things differently. If queens were saying they were going to teach kids how to be Godly people, serve the Lord and each other, how to pray and love God and each other we would be saying now that we have to be wiser about this because some evil queens have infiltrated into what is a good and righteous calling. That most queens are good and honorable people with pure and holy motives.

And if youth pastors came out and told us that they were going to sexualize the kids, they were going to come to the meetings and dress sexually, dance provocatively, show kids their behinds and teach kids how to twerk and be queer we would say the same thing. As we say about the queens of today. If youth pastors openly as a group said we all want to do this to your kids and we want the parents to approve of it we would say no. No you shouldn't be able to do that, to turn the kids into your little queer pets as the youth pastors encourage kids to break all the rules, while wearing fake boobs, pretend to touch in front of them, and have fake sex to tear down their inhibitions. Yeah we would be drastically opposed.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
33,308
36,624
Los Angeles Area
✟830,534.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
The difference between youth pastors and queens are the queens have told us outright what their purpose is which is to sexualize and groom kids to experiment sexually and be queer. All of them.
That's just baloney. Most of them just want to read the Very Hungry Caterpillar to kids at the library.
 
Upvote 0

rjs330

Well-Known Member
CF Ambassadors
May 22, 2015
22,575
6,074
64
✟337,567.00
Faith
Pentecostal
That's just baloney. Most of them just want to read the Very Hungry Caterpillar to kids at the library.
Wrong most of them want to teach children how to simulate sex acts disguised as dancing. We've already been over this and have provided their manifesto, their videos, their own words. It's beyond deniability now. It's time to catch up to 2023.
 
Upvote 0

Pommer

CoPacEtiC SkEpTic
Sep 13, 2008
16,665
10,478
Earth
✟143,389.00
Country
United States
Faith
Deist
Marital Status
In Relationship
Politics
US-Democrat
Wrong most of them want to teach children how to simulate sex acts disguised as dancing. We've already been over this and have provided their manifesto, their videos, their own words. It's beyond deniability now. It's time to catch up to 2023.
I missed where Jesus said to rule the governments so that Christians could eliminate temptations to sin.

How strong is a faith that can’t withstand the temptations of the world?
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Ceallaigh

May God be with you and bless you.
Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
19,177
9,968
.
✟608,049.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Wrong most of them want to teach children how to simulate sex acts disguised as dancing. We've already been over this and have provided their manifesto, their videos, their own words. It's beyond deniability now. It's time to catch up to 2023.
This goes to show the denial people put themselves in which allows the person in the OP to get away with what he did.

"Oh no, it can't be anything like that. He just has an innocent fondness for children, and the children like him so much, nothing wrong could be going on."

And it's the same thing with "Oh no, it can't be anything like that. All of these drag queens just all of a sudden want to read the Very Hungry Caterpillar to children and nothing else. And the children like it so much. Nothing wrong is or could be going on."

It's like "That man in the van that has 'Free Candy' written on it just wants to be nice to kids."
 
Last edited:
  • Agree
Reactions: rjs330
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

Ceallaigh

May God be with you and bless you.
Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
19,177
9,968
.
✟608,049.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
So your strawman characterization of me is false, and your allegations against DQSH are false.
And you just illustrated what I was saying. "oh no, they're just nice men who want to read stories to kids, nothing about it could or would ever possibly be a problem...

Oh and we need to say "DQSH" instead of Drag Queen of course.
 
Upvote 0

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
33,308
36,624
Los Angeles Area
✟830,534.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
And you just illustrated what I was saying. "oh no, they're just nice men who want to read stories to kids, nothing about it could or would ever possibly be a problem...
No. Like Catholic priests or youth pastors, no one is entirely above suspicion.
Oh and we need to say "DQSH" instead of Drag Queen of course.
DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR!
Drag queens reading stories for approximately 60 minutes!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Larniavc
Upvote 0

Ceallaigh

May God be with you and bless you.
Site Supporter
Oct 2, 2020
19,177
9,968
.
✟608,049.00
Country
United States
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Single
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

essentialsaltes

Stranger in a Strange Land
Oct 17, 2011
33,308
36,624
Los Angeles Area
✟830,534.00
Country
United States
Faith
Atheist
Marital Status
Legal Union (Other)
Then how do they manage to do what they do?
It's in the OP. Zacharias then began to groom the boys for commercial sex acts, using his position as a priest and teacher to ingratiate himself with the boys and their families as a trusted friend, mentor and spiritual counselor.

Saying that 'no one is above suspicion' does not mean that everyone is using the proper caution and skepticism.
 
Upvote 0