Evangelical bishop arrested on suspicion of rape of a vulnerable person and sexual harassment of teenagers in Goiás

The Civil Police arrested the evangelical bishop Cleber da Silva Cruz, aged 43, who was being investigated for rape of a vulnerable person and sexual harassment against a teenager and three other young people in Cidade Oeste, on the outskirts of DF. According to delegate Aluisio Nascimento, in an interview with g1, the abuses had been occurring continuously for at least ten years.

Cleber was arrested on Tuesday (8). g1 didn't find his defense. According to the Criminal Police, the suspect remains in custody. To g1, the delegate said that Cleber was still a bishop at the time of the crimes. The police began investigations at the beginning of the year after receiving reports of abuse.

"One of the young people was a teenager. The rest were older. The first young man started a relationship with him when he was 15 years old. The rest were around 18 to 20 years old when they started making advances. All the young people are men," he said.

In a note to TV Anhanguera, the defense of the Missionary Baptist Church reported that Cleber was definitively excluded from the list of members and removed from all ecclesiastical functions on February 8, 2026. The institution also highlighted that it sought out the police authorities to communicate the facts (read the full note below).

Evangelical bishop is arrested on suspicion of rape of a vulnerable person and sexual harassment of a teenager, in Goiás — Photo: Reproduction/TV Anhanguera

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'Justice be done'

In an interview with TV Anhanguera, mothers who preferred not to identify themselves said they hope the suspect pays for what he did and that justice is served. One of the interviewees wished that no mother would go through this and that no young person or child would have their innocence taken away.

One of them highlighted the breach of trust because it was an environment that the family considered safe.

"It's difficult for us to raise a child with the care we do, preserving him from everything that we think will harm him. Then, when we think he's in a safe place, this kind of thing happens to the person he's supposed to protect. I hope he pays for what he did, that justice is done", he said.

Another woman said that she began to notice sudden changes in her son's behavior, who began to have crying spells and difficulties with his studies.

"I noticed a lot of difference in him. He failed college, he crashed his car every day. I asked him [the bishop], I called him several times, and he said: 'Don't worry, no, that's normal'. Until the day my son went to a church meeting, he couldn't stand it and started crying and screaming", he recalled.

Note

The defense of the Missionary Baptist Church reported that Kleber Silva da Cruz was definitively excluded from the list of members and removed from all ecclesiastical functions on February 8, 2026.

According to the institution, the church itself, through its legal advice, took the initiative to seek out the police authorities to communicate the facts that came to their attention, requesting the appropriate legal investigation.

The congregation declared that it "vehemently repudiates any conduct that violates the law and human dignity", reinforcing that it no longer has any link with the person being investigated.

Finally, the institution highlighted that it fully respects the decisions of the Judiciary and that, as the process is being processed under judicial secrecy, it does not have access to the records and is not responsible for making a value judgment regarding precautionary measures adopted by the police and judicial authorities.

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