A popular Catholic influencer has been excluded from public events in its local church amid research for accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Bishop Artur Bubnevych, of the Byzantine Catholic Eparquía of the Holy Protection of Mary in Phoenix, Arizona (United States) issued a statement prohibiting the Catholic character Alex Jurado – who directs the Ministry in Social Networks Voice of Reason – participate in public events while under investigation by accusations of having made grooming Sexual to a minor teenager when he was 21 years old.
Receive the main news of ACI Press by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social networks. Subscribe to our free channels today:
CNA – Ewtn News English Address— reported for the first time about the accusations against jury on July 15. The Protestant Protestia website published a report claiming that “informants within the Catholic community” had revealed sexually explicit text messages that jury supposedly sent a girl possibly only 14 years when he had 21.
The popular Catholic apologist has flatly denied the accusations. The influencer said in a statement on his Instagram page that the statements were false and that he is “voluntarily cooperating in an investigation that will allow the truth to come to light.”
“(L) A accusation that I had an inappropriate relationship with a 14 -year -old girl is a complete invention,” he said.
He added that he is “prepared to take legal actions against those who have defamed me”, describing the accusations as a “horrible and malicious rumor.”
On July 16, on the other hand, Bubnevych issued a statement to the clergy of his eparquía indicating that jury, “regular assistant in one of our parishes”, is prohibited “any activity or participation … that occurs in any installation or event sponsored by the Poenix Eparquía until again notice.”
“We will fully cooperate with any authorized investigation that may occur in this matter,” the bishop wrote in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by CNA.
“We also want to emphasize that our safe environment policies, which address the protection and dignity of all people, take very seriously and, with this in mind, I believe that the action that is being taken is justified,” said the bishop.
In the midst of the controversy, Catholic Answers, an apologetic organization that produces the Radio Catholic Answers Live program, eliminated a page dedicated to jury from its website.
Jon Sorensen, director of Operations at Catholic Answers, told CNA in an email that Jury “has never been a member of Catholic Answers staff. He was an occasional guest in our radio program, ‘Catholic Answers Live’, and, like all our radio guests, he had a profile page in Catholic.com.”
He added: “In the light of the recent and serious accusations about Alex, we have eliminated this profile of Catholic.com. We pray for the whole truth to come to light, we pray for Alex and pray for all those who may have been victimized, scandalized or stripped by these reported facts.”
Jury has not responded to CNA consultations about the controversy.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Francesca Purchio Fenton
Francesca Pollio Fenton is responsible for social networks of Catholic News Agency. He received his degree in communications with emphasis on digital media from the University of Colorado, in Denver (United States).