The Catholic Diocese of Spokane removed a priest from ministry and asked police to investigate after he was accused of misappropriation of funds and sexual misconduct involving six women.
Catholic clergy across Spokane received a notice in April that Our Lady of Fatima’s priest, the Rev. Miguel Mejia, was accused of seeking sex from “vulnerable” women in exchange for money or other items, using parish funds to pay for sexual activities with women, stalking a woman at least once and using his power and status as a priest to harm them.
“This is wrong,” said the Rev. Darrin Connall, vicar general for the diocese, in an interview. “And it’s tragic.”
Many of Mejia’s former parishioners, including the church’s bookkeeper, continue to support the priest and question the veracity of the evidence against him.
Parishioners and priests all gathered at a meeting in June, according to a transcript and recording obtained by The Spokesman-Review. They were told Mejia would likely not be returning to the church, located on the South Hill at Perry Street and 34th Avenue.
The Diocesan Review Board, made up of a majority of people not employed by the diocese, decided the allegations were credible. That followed interviews of two of the women by the Victim Assistance Ministry Office and a separate investigation by a retired police detective that Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly appointed for assistance. The board recommended to Daly that Mejia be removed, and Daly accepted the recommendation.
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