San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller wrote to a Northside parish over the weekend to make sure one of the congregation leaders was “not impersonating a priest” and asking for money after being investigated and accused of sexual and financial harassment . The parishioners were informed about this in the bulletin on Sunday, January 22.
In a letter dated January 10, Garcia-Siller said the investigation had uncovered financial and sexual misconduct by the Reverend Duncan Amek involving “adult women” and revealed that the priest had entered into a civil partnership with an unidentified individual. It was not immediately clear whether the priest’s misconduct had turned into a felony or whether the allegations concerned only violations of the archdiocese’s code of conduct for clergy.
According to a press release from the Archdiocese, Amek was ordained a priest in May 2019 by Garcia-Siller. The Kenyan native was reportedly ordained at St. Anne’s after serving as a deacon for a year. According to previous church records, Amek served as a parish vicar, that is, an assistant to the priest.
“Even though, as a priest, he cannot officially marry without first being released from his obligation of priestly celibacy, this marriage attempt is an obstacle to his exercise of priestly service,” the letter says. “Now he cannot perform the functions of a priest. I am writing this so that Reverend Amek does not fraudulently identify himself as a priest and turn to you for financial assistance.
The archdiocese’s letter includes a statement that those who may have been sexually assaulted or harassed by clergy can contact the Office of Victim Assistance and Safe Environments at 210-734-7786. Reports of violations of the code of conduct may be reported to the Archdiocese’s Misconduct Hotline, operated by a third party, at 844-709-1169.
MySA has reached out to St. Matthew Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of San Antonio for comment.
