Originally ordained a Roman Catholic priest in Ecuador in 2000, Luis Andrade left the priesthood in 2005 and was married.
He joined the Episcopal Church in 2009 and was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 2012. Subsequently accused of rape, one of his alleged victims filed a complaint with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. That complaint resulted in an evaluation and counseling for Andrade, who was found to be fit to continue ministry.
The victim then filed a second complaint, asserting that the Rev. Anthony Guillen, the priest in national church offices, failed to take her complaints of drunken and lewd behavior seriously. Amanda Skofstad, spokesperson for Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, responded:
When we were made aware of concerns within Latino ministries, these concerns were taken seriously and investigated. All parties involved received anti-harassment training as well as training in gender norms and cultural differences.
Two females later complained that Andrade coerced them into having sex. None of these allegations were reported to the police, allegedly because the women did not want the diocese to do so.
In 2019, tired of what she perceived as inaction by the diocese and the police, the initial victim filed suit against Andrade, the Diocese of Chicago, and Bishop Jeffrey Lee.
Andrade disputed the allegations, claiming none of the women were “registered” as members, that he had not counseled them, that the sex was consensual, and that none of the sexual activity occurred on church property.
One of the women later reported harassment and shunning by members of the church, resulting in her attempting suicide on two occasions
Andrade eventually was deposed by the Episcopal church, before joining the National Catholic Church in the United States as a priest.
The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago alerted the National Catholic Church to the fact it had defrocked Andrade. Officials initially brushed aside this information, but later alleged that they were not aware of the allegations.
Earlier this year, Andrade abruptly resigned from the National Catholic Church in the United States, resurfacing in the Apostolic Church of the United States.
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