BREAKING:
You can read more here, here, and here.
More soon …
Author: Joelle Casteix
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San Fran: An Evening with Bobcat Goldthwait
If you are in the San Francisco area May 27, be sure to check out this screening of the award-winning documentary Call Me Lucky, with a special Q&A afterward with comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait.
From Variety:
A tribute to an underappreciated comedic talent that takes a startling midpoint shift toward much graver material, “Call Me Lucky” is a terrifically engaging surprise. Bobcat Goldthwait’s documentary feature manages to avoid both excessive cronyism and soapboxing as it traverses from a portrait of his professional mentor, influential standup Barry Crimmins, to something that could scarcely be less of a laughing matter.
You can buy tickets here. Proceeds will benefit SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
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Convicted priest booted from OKC
But where is he now? That’s an important question …
From NewsOK:
Tuesday, in a prepared statement, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, said the Rev. Jose Alexis Davila was removed from his pastoral work in the archdiocese after more investigation was conducted into the priest’s past.
Considering the archbishop claimed to have done an exhaustive investigation, I can only conclude that the real issue was parishioner pushback.
Why? Because all you needed to do to learn the full story of Davila is do a Google search and read this blog. And it doesn’t cost a nickle.
But on to the important question: Where is Davila now?
From OKC Archbishop Coakley’s statement:
After a continued investigation by archdiocesan staff, I became aware late Monday of new information regarding the allegations against Father Alexis Davila that made it necessary for me to remove him from pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Father Davila left the archdiocese on Tuesday. (emphasis mine)
So we don’t know where he is. We don’t know if he’s allowed to be a priest. We don’t know where he’s living or working.
Coakley just passed the trash down the road. He had options: He could have forced Davila to live in a monastery, away from vulnerable populations (women, children). He could have made Davila live a life of prayer and penance.
But he didn’t. So now, we need to keep looking for Jose Alexis Davila. And hopefully, if he turns up in another parish, Catholics and parents will be as brave and strong as the people of Lawton.
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Archdiocese of OKC circulates Davila’s expungement record, misleads press/parishioners
In an attempt to mislead parishioners and the public and clear them of wrongdoing in hiring a priest who plead guilty to a sexual offense, the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is circulating the priest’s “expungement document.”
In this document, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila’s record of unlawful sexual touching is expunged. It is dated in 2015, after Davila should have completed the terms of his three-year probation.
What is an expungement?
An expungement document gives a person convicted of a crime a “fresh start.” It allows a person who was punished for an offense to tell prospective employers that they have not been convicted of a crime.
It is NOT a “Certificate of actual innocence,” which is a document stating that the actual crime didn’t happen.
Usually, a certificate of expungement is a part of a plea agreement: offender agrees to plead guilty, avoids trial, and is granted an expungement after probation is served.
Why is this expungement irrelevant?
This expungement is irrelevant because Davila is a priest who works with children and vulnerable adults. He is not an accountant, a warehouse worker, or a plumber.
As a priest, Davila should not only be held to a higher standard, but he is also subject to ZERO TOLERANCE and promised by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
He plead guilty to a sex crime. He should not work in a parish. Period.
Remember what prosecutors said he did:
Skeels told Commissioner Corinne Miesfeld that the defendant is accused of touching the victim in three areas against her will on Dec. 30. He touched her buttocks, put his finger in her vagina and touched her left breast, the prosecutor alleged.
Police said the alleged assault happened at Davila’s home in Southcrest while the two were alone. The defendant turned himself in two days later.
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Cops vs. Coakley: You be the judge
Let’s play a game of “Who to believe …”
In 2012, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila plead guilty to unlawful sexual touching.
We learned this week that Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley put Davila back in a parish.
Let’s see what Coakley had to say:
While Father Davila’s actions with an adult parishioner five years ago occurred in the presence of others at his office in California, he understands that those actions were perceived as inappropriate. He accepted the consequences of his lapse in judgment.
Let’s see what San Diego prosecutors had to say in 2012 about the crime (and remember … Davila ended up with a GUILTY PLEA):
Skeels told Commissioner Corinne Miesfeld that the defendant is accused of touching the victim in three areas against her will on Dec. 30. He touched her buttocks, put his finger in her vagina and touched her left breast, the prosecutor alleged.
Police said the alleged assault happened at Davila’s home in Southcrest while the two were alone. The defendant turned himself in two days later.
How stupid does Coakley think we are?