Brazil pastors indicted for sexual abuse of adolescents in Roraima

The Polícia Civil of Roraima indicted a married couple of evangelical pastors, Wenderson Lima de Souza (32) and Arielly Kamila Moraes de Souza (24), on multiple sexual‑crime charges after six adolescent girls aged 12‑17 reported being abused. Investigators said the pastors used their religious authority to gain the victims’ trust, claiming the acts served a spiritual purpose and offering money, PIX transfers and meals to silence them. The DPCA’s inquiry, prompted by a 14‑year‑old’s complaint in April, later identified up to 11 victims. A 20‑year‑old church treasurer was also indicted for fraud and corruption of minors after she helped destroy a cell phone believed to contain evidence, an act the pastors ordered and carried out with a hammer. Police described the conduct as “a systematic chain of manipulation, abuse of religious authority, blackmail and psychological coercion,” emphasizing that consent was impossible under the circumstances. The case underscores how positions of trust can be exploited in sexual‑abuse offenses.