Father Juan Carlos Castaño Mejia
Diocese of Charlotte (Oratorians)
Ordained: 1991
Removed: 2002
Convicted: 2003
Deported: 2005
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Fr. Juan Carlos Castaño Mejia:
Fr. Juan Carlos Castaño was ordained a priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Ipiales, Colombia, in 1991. He was a visiting priest of the Oratory in Rock Hill in the Diocese of Charlotte. According to media reports, in. According to media reports, he was arrested in March 2002 after the Diocese of Charleston (South Carolina) received an allegation that he sexually abuse a child in 2000 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A
As a result of the arrest, his Order and the Diocese of Charleston immediately suspended Fr. Castaño from ministry, and the Diocese simultaneously withdrew permission for him to serve anywhere in the Diocese of Charlotte. According to the Charlotte Diocese, Fr. Castaño had briefly volunteered at Room At The Inn in Charlotte (now called MiraVia) without any allegations of misconduct.
Fr. Castaño admitted to the child sexual abuse in York County (S.C.) Circuit Court in 2003 and was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon his release, he is believed to have been deported back to Colombia.
According to media reports, in February 2019, Fr. Castaño’s name was included on the Diocese of Charleston list of priests credibly accused of child sex abuse.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in North Carolina, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte now have legal options to recover damages due to a change in North Carolina law. Contact us at 888-283-9922. Email us at [email protected].