A Chaldean Catholic bishop from San Diego is under investigation by the Vatican after it was discovered that he frequently crossed into Tijuana, in some cases up to 12 times in a single month, to visit the nudist and prostitution center known as Hong Kong, located in the city’s Zona Norte (North Zone).
According to the investigation, the bishop allegedly achieved “VIP client” status at the establishment, located on Coahuila Street in the heart of Tijuana’s red-light district.
The Pillar, a Catholic news outlet specializing in journalism of interest to the Catholic community in the United States, reported that the Vatican opened an investigation against Emanuel Shaleta, bishop of the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Peter in El Cajon, California.
The Chaldean Catholic Church is part of the Universal Catholic Church, originated in the Middle East—with a strong presence in Iraq—and, although directly linked to the Pope, has its own liturgy, traditions, and structure, distinct from the Latin rite practiced in Mexico. According to The Pillar, the journalistic investigation was based on Vatican documents that accuse Shaleta of alleged embezzlement and sexual misconduct linked to his frequent visits to Tijuana and, in particular, to the Hong Kong nudist center, one of the city’s most popular.
The publication reports that the investigation began in 2024 when financial authorities at the cathedral—which Shaleta still headed—discovered that the bishop was collecting cash payments for various religious services and subsequently making smaller deposits into the parish’s bank accounts.
According to the reviewed documentation, the allegedly embezzled funds amount to nearly half a million dollars, although it is also suspected that he may have diverted approximately one million pesos more through irregular charges for other parish services.
Following the complaint, the Vatican ordered an investigation in 2025, led by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José Gómez. During this process, it was discovered that Shaleta regularly crossed the border between San Diego and Tijuana, primarily at night, to visit a bar known as the Hong Kong, where prostitution took place.
Church authorities hired a former FBI special agent as a private investigator, who followed the bishop during his visits to the brothel in Tijuana.
Among the findings, the investigator documented that the bishop crossed the border more than a dozen times in a single month and that, despite being questioned by his superiors, he continued making these trips at least twice a week.
Like other VIP clients of the establishment, Shaleta used the Hong Kong’s exclusive parking lot and was transported in a limousine from the San Ysidro border crossing to the bar, located on Coahuila Street. The Pillar describes the location as “an establishment regularly referred to as a brothel by local media and online reviews, and identified by human rights journalists as a site where women and girls trafficked for sex work are forced into prostitution.”
According to the publication, following an investigation ordered by the Vatican, Shaleta submitted his resignation at the request of the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches. Although the resignation was communicated to the Chaldean community last January, the Vatican has not yet formally accepted it.
The case has also been referred to civil authorities in San Diego County, where the Sheriff’s Department is conducting an open investigation and considering filing criminal charges against the priest, who has not yet issued a public statement regarding the allegations.
Source: elzoomdelainformacion
