Frederico Cunha

Frederico Marcos da Cunha (born April 12, 1950, in Natal) usually referred to in the media as Father Frederico is a defrocked Brazilian Roman Catholic priest and fugitive, convicted of murdering a teenager in Portugal, as well as sexually abusing numerous children and adolescents. He escaped from prison in 1998, and has been living as a free man in his native country ever since.

Move to Madeira According to journalist Manuel Catarino, before moving to Madeira in 1983, Cunha lived in Italy and was part of the religious order known as the Canons Regular of Santa Cruz (the Crosiers), which were part of the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum, an ultraconservative congregation that promoted devotion to angels. (The Holy See declared that "the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum, which, as it stands today , is a public association of the Church in accordance to traditional doctrine and the directives of the Supreme Authority; it spreads devotion among the faithful to the Holy Angels, urges prayers for priests, promotes love for Jesus Christ in His passion and union with it.") The Austrian newspaper also stated that Cunha had been a member at the time. According to statements by the priest himself and the diocese of Funchal, Frederico was a priest of the diocese, but not of the religious order.

An anonymous witness reported to the police by phone that they had seen Cunha's car at the crime scene. In a subsequent search of his home, authorities found an abundance of photographs showing Frederico abusing young and adolescent boys. On May 25, Cunha was arrested and placed in preventative detention at a prison in Funchal.

Bishop Teodoro de Faria protested against Cunha's imprisonment, claiming that he was "as innocent as Jesus Christ" and that he had been framed by Jews. In contrast, many Catholics were "shocked, surprised and ashamed" by this comparison. The diocese of Funchal never opened any canonical process against Cunha, not even after the Court condemned him, preventing any motions for him to be barred from being a priest. Miguel was jailed for 15 months with a suspended sentence for providing false statements to the court. During the trial, four adult witnesses told the court how they had been sexually abused by the priest. Cunha used a false passport provided by the Brazilian Embassy, which prompted an extradition request from the Portuguese Government, but, after that, nothing more was known.

The international arrest warrant and the rest of his sentence officially expired on April 8, 2018.