Priest sentenced to 10 years probation for seducing woman

[left-of-center2012]

San Diego parish priest sentenced to 10 years probation for seducing woman seeking spiritual help

A chance encounter in Rome led a Minnesota woman to seek spiritual solace from a San Diegan studying for the Roman Catholic priesthood, Jacob Bertrand.
She received his prayers — and a sexual relationship that he (Bertrand) later described as “the second holiest sacrifice next to Jesus and Mary on Calvary.”

In a Minnesota courtroom Monday, Bertrand was sentenced to 10 years probation and a $1,000 fine for criminal sexual conduct. He was also ordered to complete an assessment as a sex offender and then undergo any recommended therapy.
Under the terms of a plea agreement, Bertrand would face up to four years imprisonment if he violates the terms of his probation.

Bertrand, now 35, was ordained a priest in 2010. During a private Mass celebrated in a Minnesota home later that year, he had sex with a woman he had met while studying in Rome.
She complained to church officials in Minnesota in 2012 and 2014, the latter complaint being forwarded to the San Diego diocese. In April 2016, she went to the police and made a criminal complaint.
Bertrand was indicted in Minnesota in October 2016. This January, he pled guilty to the single charge of criminal sexual conduct.

“Father Jacob is not expected to return to active ministry,” Kevin Eckery, a diocesan spokesman, said Monday.