Pedro Surtida Aldea
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Filipino priest. Ordained 1966. Came to Canada around 1988 . Incardinated in the Diocese of Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. When the Diocese of Gravelbourg ceased to exist in 1998 became incardinated in the Archdiocese of Regina, Sask. Original charges solicting sex with a minor, having sex with a prostitute, and sex with a prostitute. GUILTY plea October 2004 to obtaining the sexual services of the two under-age “sex workers.” Sentenced to 12 months conditional sentence on each of the latter charges to run concurrently. (The child porn charges were stayed by the Crown after Aldea entered the guilty plea [Aldea took pornographic pictures of both the girls]. I have not been able to find out what happened to the charge related to obtaining sexual services from an adult prostitute – I am guessing it was dropped or withdrawn along with the porn charges?)
according to media served as a parish priest in the communities of Mankota, Val Marie, Ponteix, Shaunavon, Climax, Admiral, and Eastend (St. Patrick’s), St. Cecilia in Regina
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28 October 2005: Between Her Majesty the Queen Pedro Surtida Aldea: Oral Sentencing
Three of the testimonials which were filed with the court on Aldea’s behalf and cited by Justice Zarzeczny (see above pdf file)
(1) Professor Koh of the University of Regina writes:
I have known Fr. Pedro Aldea for over a dozen years and I have nothing but admiration and respect for him. He has been an excellent priest, generous to the poor, compassionate to the underprivileged, kind and friendly especially to fellow Filipinos, and true to the teachings and liturgy of the Church….[w]hat he has done recently is an aberration, a misstep in judgment, an incongruous act due to human weakness….”
(2) Reverend Ken Koep, a Roman Catholic priest colleague of Mr. Aldea writes:
… I can attest to the enviable reputation he has enjoyed in the various parishes he has served up to this time. He has been generous and self-giving in his pastoral role. His fellow priests from the Philippines looked up to him as their mentor.
(3) Noel Delaquis, Bishop of Gravelbourg and Mr. Aldea’s first supervising bishop had this to say about him:
… [D]uring all the years I have known him he exercised a remarkable ministry in different rural parishes of the southern part of Saskatchewan. He was well received by the people…. [H]e took on in a very positive and marvellous way the challenge of living and working in a different culture…. The people were very pleased with and appreciative of his ministry.
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Unless otherwise indicated the following dates and information are drawn from the Canadian Catholic Directory (CCCD) of that date, Faith Alive: Archdiocese of Regina 1910-2010 (FA), legal documents (L) and media (M) 2010: address for St/ Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Regina Saskatchewan (Pastor, Father D. Rafael) (CCCD)
2004: Sacred Heart RC Church, Regina, Saskatchewan (CCCD)
it was during this time that, on various occasions, Aldea picked up one of two minor prostitutes and took the girl to his room in the rectory where he engaged in oral sex, sexual intercourse. On one occasion with each of the girls he took pornographic pictures.
2002-2004: St Cecilia RC Church, Regina, Saskatchewan (FA)
2000-2002: Holy Family RC Church, Admiral, Saskatchewan (FA)
1996-2002: Christ the King RC Church, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan (Diocese of Gravelbourg until 1998) (FA)
2002:Pastor, Christ the King RC Church, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan with missions at Immaculate Conception in Climax, Saint Patrick in Eastend, and Holy Family in Admiral, Sask, (CCCD)
2000, 1999:Pastor, Christ the King RC Church, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan with missions at Immaculate Conception in Climax and Saint Patrick in Eastend Sask.(CCCD)
1997,1998: Pastor, Christ the King RC Church, Shaunavon, Saskatchewan (CCCD)
1996:Pastor, St. Georges RC Church, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (CCCD)
1995, 1994, 1993: Pastor, St. Georges RC Church, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (CCCD)
1992-1993:St. Joseph RC Church, Glentworth, Saskatchewan (FA)
1988-1992: St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan (with Father Alelardo Ribaya) (FA) (Gravelbourg Diocese)
1992, 1991: Pastor, St. Georges RC Church, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (CCCD)
1988-1990: St. Albert RC Church, Mankota, Saskatchewan (FA)
Pre-1988:In the Phillipines Aldea’s ministry included “work with young people, charities and the poor.” (L)
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Priest escapes jail sentence
http://pm.stpeterscollege.ca/jail_11_02_05.html (Prairie Messenger)
02 November 2005
By Frank Flegel
REGINA — Rev. Pedro Aldea received two concurrent one-year conditional sentences for soliciting the services of underage prostitutes when he was sentenced in a Regina courtroom Oct. 28, but he won’t have to go to jail. Instead, he is confined to his residence from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday to Friday for the first three months of his sentence and can leave only with written permission. He will also be required to wear an electronic monitoring device for six months.
The offences occurred between December 2003 and April 2004 and were discovered when a south Regina photo processing shop developed film for Aldea that contained what were considered pornographic shots of young girls. The police were informed and Aldea was charged with soliciting and producing pornographic material. The pornography charge was later dropped.
Aldea pled guilty to the soliciting charges. The sentence is conditional, which means that if he breaches any of the conditions he could go to jail.
Aldea picked up the prostitutes and brought them back to his residence at Sacred Heart Church where he served as pastor. The court was told that the 68-year-old priest was having difficulty adjusting to a city parish after serving for almost 15 years in rural parishes. He felt he wasn’t being accepted by the parish and became depressed.
In handing out the sentence, Queen’s Bench Justice Ted Zarzeczny said Aldea has suffered personal consequences “far worse than this court could impose.” The judge said Aldea has disgraced himself and broken his vows, and his ability to serve as a priest has been revoked by the Regina Archdiocese. The judge did not consider Aldea a risk to reoffend and therefore he did not have to register as a sexual offender.
Aldea is formerly from Philippines.
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Priest pleads for mercy
27 October 2005
Regina Leader-Post
Jana G. Pruden
A Catholic priest who picked up underage prostitutes and had sex with them inside the church rectory asked a judge for leniency Wednesday, saying he would be “very thankful to the Lord” if he gets a short sentence in the community without electronic monitoring.
“I ask your mercy and compassion and kindness your honour,” Pedro Surtida Aldea said, during sentencing proceedings before Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Ted Zarzeczny on Wednesday morning.
The 68-year-old Aldea had previously pleaded guilty to paying for the sexual services of two underage girls on four different occasions, and is slated to be sentenced Friday afternoon. The Crown is asking for a community-based sentence of at least a year; the defence is arguing for a community-based sentence of six months.
Speaking in court Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Bill Jennings said police were alerted to Aldea’s activities when a worker at a south Regina photo lab developed sexually explicit pictures of females she thought were in their teens. Aldea is in one of the photos.
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Jail unlikely for priest who solicited teens
CBC News
26 October 2005
Last Updated 01:23 PM CDT, Oct 26, 2005
CANADA – A Regina priest convicted of soliciting sex from underage prostitutes will likely not be going to jail.
At a court appearance Wednesday, Crown and defence lawyers said a conditional sentence for Father Pedro Aldea was appropriate.
Under the sentencing proposal, Aldea will wear an electronic ‘bracelet’ and serve his sentence in the community. Aldea will also be restricted from Regina’s north central area – the area where he picked up the two teenaged prostitutes.
The 68-year-old priest was charged in May 2004. He pleaded guilty earlier this year and admitted he paid the girls for sex.
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Priest Paid Girls for Sex
Regina Leader-Post
13 September 2005
By Jana G. Pruden
A Roman Catholic priest has pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting child prostitutes in Regina, and has had two charges of making child pornography stayed.
Pedro Surtida Aldea, 67, had originally been scheduled to stand trail before a judge and jury on all four charges, but instead entered guilty pleas to charges of obtaining the sexual services of a girl under the age of 18 on “several occasions” between Dec. 1, 2003 and April 3, 2004, and from another child between Jan. 1, 2004, and April 30, 2004.
After his guilty pleas, two charges of making child pornography by taking photographs of the girls were stayed by the Crown.
At the Crown’s request, a pre-sentence report will now be done to look at whether electronic monitoring and sex offender treatment are possibilities in Aldea’s case.
Aldea sat quietly with his head down during his brief court appearance, speaking only to enter his pleas.
He will appear in court again in October for a sentencing hearing. Soliciting the services of a child prostitute is a crime punishable with up to five years in prison.
Aldea is still facing one charge for soliciting an adult prostitute and is slated to appear in Regina Provincial Court later this fall on that allegation.
Originally from the Philippines, Aldea spent 15 years as a priest in postings around rural Saskatchewan — including Shaunavon, Eastend, Climax and Admiral– before coming to Regina.
He served as priest at Sacred Heart parish and priest moderator at St. Cecilia from August 2002 to May 2004, when he was arrested at the Regina Airport as he returned from a vacation.
Paul Harasen, lawyer for the Archdiocese of Regina, said Aldea stepped down from his duties as soon as he was charged and has since had his ability to serve as a priest revoked completely.
Harasen said he’s not sure what other sanctions Aldea may face from the church in the future.
“I’m not totally sure what will happen other than to say that the general policy of the church and the diocese is that there is no place in public ministry at all for people who abuse children,” Harasen said.
Harasen said the church conducted its own internal investigation and concluded that Aldea’s actions had “no connection whatsoever with his priestly ministry.”
Aldea is not being held in custody but has been living with a number of conditions since he was charged.
A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the department is following Aldea’s case closely. Permanent residents and foreign nationals can face deportation if convicted of a serious offence.
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Canadian priest faces sex charges
upi.com
Published: May 29, 2004 at 1:46 PM
REGINA, Saskatchewan, May 29 (UPI) — A priest who has been serving in Saskatchewan for two decades has been charged with manufacturing child pornography and other sex offenses.
The Rev. Pedro Aldea was arrested Thursday night at the airport in Regina as he returned from vacation, the Regina Leader-Post reported. He appeared in court Friday to face charges that also included soliciting sex from a minor and having sex with a prostitute.
Aldea served parishes in Saskatchewan’s sparsely populated rural areas for many years. He had been the priest at two parishes in Regina recently.
A lawyer for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Regina told the newspaper he learned of Aldea’s arrest from reporters. He said the church will investigate the charges independently.