A homestead priest accused of drugging, raping a parishioner

A Homestead priest was jailed Friday night for drugging a woman and raping her.

Father Jean Claude Jean-Philippe, parish vicar of the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Homestead, was charged with sexual violence against a disabled victim. He remained in jail on Saturday at Turner Guilford Knight Penitentiary and was placed on administrative leave while the allegation is being investigated.

According to a police report, the woman would be a parishioner in the church and Jean-Philippe would have even celebrated his marriage.

In October, the 64-year-old priest invited him to his home in the church compound to offer him tea. She fainted and after drinking tea, according to the police report, she woke up naked in bed about two hours later.

The woman had no idea what had happened during those two hours. When she woke up, Jean-Philippe was "standing on his bed, wearing white underwear and no shirt," according to the report. She told the police that she was feeling the bodily fluids, but the priest denied having assaulted her.

The police were only informed after entrusting another clergyman. The archdiocese said it received a complaint about the priest on March 4 and that after meeting the woman, he "ordered" her to warn the security forces.

According to the arrest report, police investigators interviewed Jean-Philippe, who admitted to having "massaged the naked victim with oil" and had her raped.

The archdiocese issued Saturday the following statement:

"As of now, Archbishop Thomas Wenski has withdrawn p. Jean-Philippe of the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart, placing him on administrative leave. The Archdiocese of Miami continues to cooperate fully with the forces of order while this allegation against Father Jean-Philippe continues to be the subject of an investigation. "