Spain: Catholic nuns undergo virginity test to prove priest's innocence in sex abuse case

Two Catholic nuns underwent independent virginity tests to prove that a priest – who was arrested on sexual abuse offences – was innocent and had never indulged in any sexual activities with them. Feliciano Miguel Rosendo, the leader of a Roman Catholic order in Spain was accused of sexually abusing nuns and subsequently was arrested.

The priest led the Mandate and Order of Saint Michael Archangel in the Galician town of Tui in Spain. According to reports, Rosendo was arrested in December 2014 after a nun had alleged that he forced her and other nuns to have sex with him, claiming that "his semen contained the body of Christ".

Marta Paz – regarded as Rosendo's "right-hand woman" – and Ivana L were also arrested along with the priest in 2014, The Local reported. Meanwhile, a report in Spanish daily El Mundo said that both Paz and Ivana underwent virginity tests conducted by three experts and submitted the report in a Galician court to prove Rosendo's innocence.

Experts at Madrid's Official College of Physicians concluded that both the nuns "have an intact hymen with no signs of having had sexual relations, recent or old. We can rule out that they had sex with vaginal penetration and there has been no deflowering".

Rosendo's lawyer, María Teresa Quintana-Drake, was quoted as saying that although there are many witnesses to prove her client's innocence, they had no proof. The virginity tests will help prove Rosendo did not commit the alleged sexual crimes.

After his arrest in 2014, the Roman Catholic priest was expelled from the diocese of Tui for "inappropriate behaviour", following which he changed the name of the order, which had about 400 followers. However, many followers left the congregation after the priest's arrest.

Sandra L, a former nun, had alleged that Paz and Ivana would "sleep with Rosendo on alternate days" and that Rosendo had forced them to take part in orgies. Another former nun, María P had also alleged that Rosendo kept abusing her even after she got married.

"I married Fernando to stop suffering abuse by Miguel, but I was surprised when, after the wedding, the abuse continued," she reportedly told the court, noting that Rosendo forced her to have sex even the night before her wedding in order to purify her.