---
title: Colombian Prosecutor Charges Priest With Sexual Abuse of Six-Year-Old Boy
url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/colombian-prosecutor-charges-priest-with-sexual-abuse-of-six-year-old-boy
published: 2026-10-12T14:51:38+00:00
language: en
section: Persecution
source: https://www.religiondigital.org/america/fiscalia-colombia-acusa-sacerdote-abuso_1_1469186.html
organizations: San Carlos School, Colombian Prosecutor's Office, Catholic Church
publisher: FaithfulNews
---

# Colombian Prosecutor Charges Priest With Sexual Abuse of Six-Year-Old Boy

The Colombian Prosecutor's Office has formally accused a priest of sexually abusing a six-year-old boy on multiple occasions. The allegations involve acts committed against a student at the San Carlos School in Bogota between August 2022 and August 2023. The public ministry announced these charges on a Friday, stating that evidence shows the priest, who also served as the monastery director, led the child to private areas within the monastery to perform sexual acts.

The prosecutor identifies Manuel Cely Silva as the presumed responsible party for crimes involving abusive carnal access and sexual acts with a minor under fourteen years of age. These charges carry aggravated circumstances under current law. This formal accusation comes two years after the priest was initially charged with the same offenses in December 2024, a proceeding that stalled after he refused to accept the allegations and a prosecutor requested the nullification of the initial indictment.

The San Carlos School, founded in 1961, has educated numerous prominent business leaders, economists, politicians, and former heads of state. Despite the severity of the allegations, the Bogota Department of Education issued only a public reprimand to the institution this year for failures in applying protocols for handling suspected sexual violence. The report notes that sexual abuse by church members remains a taboo subject in Colombia, with limited persecution of offenders. It is common for archdioceses to conceal such cases and transfer abusers to different locations without removing them from duty or reporting them to judicial authorities, even though the Catholic Church acknowledged over one hundred such cases in 2019.

## This story in other languages

- [Português (Brasil)](https://www.faithfulnews.com/pt-br/ministerio-publico-da-colombia-acusa-sacerdote-de-abuso-sexual-contra-crianca-de-seis-anos)