In a landmark ruling that has thrust long-simmering conversations about institutional accountability within religious organizations into the national spotlight, a high-profile former evangelical leader in Belize has been found guilty on charges of sexual violence.
On Wednesday, High Court Justice Antoinette Moore delivered the guilty verdict against 67-year-old Victor Hernandez, the former president of the National Evangelical Association of Belize. The charges stem from a 2024 complaint filed by a 35-year-old woman who was once a member of Hernandez’s congregation. During courtroom testimony, the complainant became visibly overwhelmed by emotion as she shared that she had faced threats in the period before she formally lodged her allegation against the once-powerful religious leader.
Hernandez was convicted on two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, marking one of the most high-profile convictions of a senior religious figure in Belize’s recent history. The verdict has immediately reopened questions about internal oversight, power dynamics, and protections for congregants within faith-based institutions across the country.
Local media reached out to Church Senator Louis Wade for comment on the ruling, and his response acknowledged the gravity of the case while affirming support for the judicial outcome. “I am very saddened by the entire saga. No pastor should find themselves in a position where they have to be defending themselves against a congregant; something has gone wrong from the very beginning and I place no fault on the victim,” Wade stated in his remarks.
“ We are the leaders, the pastors, the shepherds, we have a responsibility to conduct ourselves whether in public or private, to the highest moral and ethical standards. Walls were clearly broken down that enabled this terrible activity to occur,” he added.
Wade emphasized that the court’s ruling has settled any question of whether the offences occurred, noting “We are no longer at a point where we need to ask ourselves did it really happen. The courts of Belize has made a decision that two counts of rape and a count of sexual assault occurred.”
While Wade noted that faith communities will continue to pray for Hernandez, who led one of the nation’s most prominent evangelical organizations for years, he made clear that no one is above legal or moral accountability. “The laws of Belize nor the laws of God does not exempt anyone from violating any other human being. So we forgive, we pray for both victim and the perpetrator, but justice must be served,” he said.
This report is adapted from a televised evening news transcript, originally published online in August 2026.