Overview
- A civil tribunal led by Judge Fernando Games found on Monday that two former monks, Diego Roqué Moreno and Jorge Óscar Portillo, and the Arzobispado de Mendoza must pay ARS 18.592.000 in damages to the complainant.
- The court said the monks abused a young aspirant at the Cristo Orante monastery between 2009 and 2015 and that a power imbalance and spiritual manipulation aggravated the harm.
- Forensic experts from the judicial Equipo de Abordaje de Abuso Sexual judged the victim's account credible and recorded lasting psychological effects including panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, and ongoing psychiatric treatment.
- Separately, Mendoza’s Supreme Court annulled an earlier overasimiento in March 2026 and ordered that the two men face criminal prosecution for sexual abuse, with a penal trial still pending.
- The civil judgment can be appealed and its execution depends on final court rulings; the monastery was closed and the ruling highlights questions about church oversight and institutional discipline.