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El Paso Matters

A survivor of sexual abuse by a priest at 14 challenges the Catholic church decades later as the El Paso diocese seeks bankruptcy protection and more

By KRWG News and Partners
Published March 27, 2026 at 8:45 AM MDT
Isaac Melendrez Jr. sits in front of Our Lady of Purification Catholic Church in Doña Ana, N.M., on March 15, 2026. Melendrez lives only a mile from the church, where he was sexually abused by the priest as a child, but still avoids the immediate area.
Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters
Isaac Melendrez Jr. sits in front of Our Lady of Purification Catholic Church in Doña Ana, N.M., on March 15, 2026. Melendrez lives only a mile from the church, where he was sexually abused by the priest as a child, but still avoids the immediate area.

El Paso Matters President and CEO Bob Moore covers top stories each week.

El Paso Matters
KRWG News and Partners
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