The former bishop of Catanduva (SP), Valdir Mamede, is on trial this Tuesday (27), at 1:30 pm, after being accused of carrying out a series of sexual abuse against a priest between 2019 and 2023. The session will be held via videoconference.
The hearing is a stage in the process in which evidence is produced, with statements from the victim and witnesses, in addition to the interrogation of the defendant. Then, the prosecution and defense present their arguments, and the judge analyzes the evidence to decide the case.
The Public Ministry's complaint points out that the episodes would have occurred between 2019 and 2023, when Dom Valdir was in charge of the Diocese of Catanduva.
According to the accusation, he took advantage of his hierarchical position and religious authority over the priest to carry out libidinous acts without consent.
Valdir Mamede was auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Brasília and assumed the Bishopric of Catanduva. The events allegedly took place at the Episcopal Residence and the Parish of São Sebastião, in Ibirá (SP), where the priest worked.
In a previous statement, Valdir stated that he always acted ethically and that the episodes were consensual. g1 tries to contact the accused's defense again.
The police report was registered by the priest on March 22, 2024. According to the MP's complaint, issued in April of this year, the approach between them began under the pretext that the then bishop needed personal care, including intimate body waxing.
According to the document, the abuses would have occurred repeatedly for around five years. The MP describes four episodes considered criminal, including:
Hierarchical relationship: the Prosecutor's Office claims that the former bishop would have used the priest's authority relationship and psychological vulnerability to embarrass him, with veiled threats of religious punishments, such as transferring parishes or being prevented from exercising the priesthood;
Waxing: the former bishop asked the victim to shave his body and use a razor on his body more than once as an excuse to get naked and commit sexual harassment. In 2024, g1 released for the first time screenshots of conversations via the app that show that the former bishop asked the victim to shave his body;
Video calls: the former bishop made video calls in which he appeared naked and masturbated in front of the priest;
Sexual violence: in one of them, in September 2022, the then bishop allegedly called the priest to sleep at the Episcopal Residence, in Catanduva, before a trip the next day. According to the accusation, during the night, Valdir grabbed the religious man and performed sexual acts without his consent. In another episode, in 2023, Valdir allegedly went to the religious man's house, in Ibirá, tried to grab him and masturbated next to him without consent.
According to the complaint, after the last episode, the victim collected biological material left on a sheet and sent it for analysis. The expert report cited by the MP pointed out that the material came from a male individual.
The Public Prosecutor's Office requests Valdir's conviction for repeated sexual harassment, with aggravating circumstances related to the circumstances of the facts and the exercise of authority over the victim.
The Prosecutor's Office also requests payment of a minimum compensation of R$300,000 for moral damages. Due to pressure and psychological damage, the priest is on medical leave and away from work at the Church.
The complaint was presented by the Public Ministry on April 28 and received by the Court on June 30, 2026. With the decision, Valdir became a defendant. The case is being processed under judicial secrecy at the 2nd Criminal Court of Catanduva.
The former bishop even resigned from his position in November 2023, without giving a reason.
