FRANCISCAN FRIAR: Monk accused of abusing mentally-disabled cousin

PROSECUTORS are seeking 17 years in prison for a monk accused of abusing a young relative and her mentally-disabled cousin in Lugo, Galicia.

Jose Q, aged 56 when the alleged crimes took place in 2014, is also accused of misappropriating church funds and prostituting a child.

Police believe the man – a member of a Franciscan order on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route – repeatedly abused the two women before offering them gifts of money, allegedly taken from the church’s funds.

One girl, aged 15 at the time, said the monk had sex with her, while the other, aged 20 at the time and suffering from a mental disability, said he attempted intercourse with her before asking her to pose for sexual photos.

In a statement, Jose Q allegedly admitted the sexual acts but insisted they were consensual and accused the younger girl of leading him astray.  He reportedly admitted: “I have messed up in a bad way.”