Corrections & Clarifications: The name of the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests was incorrect in an earlier version of the article.
A civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix highlights the history of Arizona priests fleeing the country after allegations of child sex abuse.
In the early 2000s, the Rev. Jorge Washington Cordova Hernandez faced several allegations of child abuse in Yuma and Maricopa counties. However, the priest fled to Ecuador before being arrested.
Two years after his death, a woman filed a civil lawsuit against the diocese claiming the church failed to protect her and others when knowing about the abuse.