'It Was From God': Fugitive Pastors Accused Of Using Bible Verses To Justify Child Rape

Two evangelical pastors are accused of grooming and sexually abusing at least six girls, allegedly telling victims the acts were ordained by scripture. Boa Vista, Roraima state, northern Brazil arrest warrants issued by the Roraima court on 16 July; Wenderson Lima de Souza, 32, and Arielly Kamila Moraes de Souza, 24, leaders of Assembleia de Deus AD Kairos. The pair are now fugitives, according to police.

The news came after a 14‑year‑old filed a complaint in April that prompted a wider probe, and five more alleged victims subsequently came forward with comparable claims.

The investigation identifies six girls aged between 12 and 17 as formal complainants, with a further five showing signs of alleged victimisation but refusing to give statements, the Child and Adolescent Protection Police Station said.

How The Allegations Unfolded

Police say the couple ran Assembleia de Deus AD Kairos in the Cinturao Verde neighbourhood of Boa Vista for about five years, during which time the husband used his role as pastor to persuade victims that sexual contact had a spiritual purpose, while the wife reportedly lured the girls, prosecutors allege.

Roraima's public security secretary, delegate Eliane Goncalves, told investigators the pastors 'spoke about how it was in the verses, that it was from God, that they had been sent to carry out those acts against the children.'

The probe describes a pattern of manipulation, abuse of religious authority, blackmail and psychological coercion that, investigators say, eliminates any claim of voluntariness.

The police allege the couple also offered money via bank transfers and other incentives such as meals to silence the teenagers, and that the church's founding documents discouraged complaint by warning members they could be accused of rebellion.

When the authorities opened the investigation the pastors abandoned the church premises, leaving the building damaged and with unpaid rent and utility bills, the property owner told police.

Charges And Legal Steps

Preventive arrest warrants were issued on 16 July by the Roraima court, and prosecutors have laid out multiple charges against the pair.

Wenderson faces six investigations including rape of a vulnerable person, sexual harassment, favouring the sexual exploitation of a vulnerable adolescent, unauthorised recording of sexual intimacy, procedural fraud and ideological falsehood.

Arielly is under investigation for rape of a vulnerable person, sexual harassment and procedural fraud. The case is under judicial secrecy because minors are involved.

Civil Police also charged a 20‑year‑old woman accused of helping to delete data from Wenderson's mobile phone and dispose of the device at his instructions; she is being investigated for procedural fraud and corruption of minors after allegedly coercing a teenager to file a false police report about the phone.

Victims, Evidence And The Investigation

Investigators say six victims have been formally identified, aged between 12 and 17, and that others showed evidence of alleged victimisation but did not give statements.

Police characterised the sexual practices as the product of a 'systematic chain' of coercion rooted in 'reverential fear,' a phrase that underlines how religious authority is alleged to have been weaponised to silence dissent. The inquiry began after the first complaint in April and widened as more victims spoke to officers.

The Roraima public security secretary told reporters the couple's whereabouts are unknown and that, had their location been known, arrests would have followed. Local media reported the pastors may have fled to Manaus, where Wenderson was born and where he has relatives, but police say this remains unconfirmed.

Official Responses And Defence Statements

Police statements and court filings provide the core public account; authorities have described the conduct as criminal manipulation using faith as cover.

The pastors' defence teams told media their clients are innocent, describing them as first‑time offenders with clean records and no prior criminal proceedings. Because the case involves minors and remains subject to judicial secrecy, many details are limited in public filings.

Nothing is confirmed yet so everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Claims cannot be independently verified beyond the police and court notices that form the basis of the investigation.