The Worthy Adversary

Tag: catholic clergy abuse scandal

  • Bishop Jaime Soto has some explaining to do about Uriel Ojeda

    If you are in the Sacramento area, I hope you can join us. I think that Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto has said, “Report abuse to the Diocese,” so many times, that he thinks it’s the right thing to do. (P.S. Even the Pope says to call the cops first)

     

    For immediate release: June 6, 2012

    Contact: Joelle Casteix (949) 322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com

     

    NEWS EVENT: Victims say Sacramento bishop hinders prosecution

    He won’t disclose report of predator’s confession

    Such secrecy keeps other victims silent, group says

    It urges Sacramento prelate to attend court hearing on Friday

    SNAP to Soto: “Teach your flock how to back cleric without hurting victims”

    “Stop telling victims to report to the church, tell them to call cops instead,” they say

     

    What: Holding signs and childhood photos, child sex abuse victims and their supporters will try to hand-deliver a letter to Sacramento’s Catholic bishop urging him to:

    • attend Friday’s hearing for an accused pedophile priest,
    • make public a church staffer’s report of that priest’s admission of the crime, and
    • insist that his flock quietly support accused clerics and stop scaring their accusers.

     

    The group will also blast the bishop for continuing to ask victims to report crimes to church officials instead of law enforcement.

    When: Thursday, June 7 at 12:45 pm

    Where: Outside of the Sacramento Diocese headquarters, 2110 Broadway (at 19th) in Sacramento

    Who: Two-to-three victims of child sex abuse who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, including a California woman who is the group’s Western Regional Director.

    Why: Fr. Uriel Ojeda, a Redding-area priest, was arrested in December. He faces criminal charges of sexually abusing a child under 14 and will be in court on Friday for his preliminary hearing.

    SNAP says that Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto is not doing enough to help victims and witnesses in the case and is hindering prosecution by his “continued secrecy.”

    According to press reports and the prosecutor, Ojeda confessed his crimes to a church-paid private investigator.

    SNAP wants Soto to make the investigator’s report public to help enable more victims, witnesses and whistleblowers to speak up, help police, get therapy, protect others and start healing. Disclosing the report would also protect kids, since some parents still believe Ojeda is innocent.

    At earlier court hearings, dozens of Ojeda’s supporters filled the courtroom, said they disbelieved the charges and released helium balloons to “celebrate” the admitted predator’s release on bail.

    “These parishioners are unintentionally scaring and silencing victims and witnesses,” said Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP Western Regional Director. “Soto should insist that these confused Catholics back accused predators quietly, so no other victims, witnesses or whistleblowers are hurt more or scared into staying silent. By his inaction, Soto is hurting law enforcement officials in this case and others.”

    SNAP is urging Soto to attend the Friday hearing and personally show Ojeda’s supporters how to show respect for victims and survivors while quietly supporting the priest.

    The group also asking Soto to post on diocesan and parish websites an educational pamphlet “What to do when your priest is accused.”

    Finally, the group is blasting Soto for telling victims to report crimes to church officials.

    “Even Pope Benedict has said that victims should report crimes to civil authorities,” Casteix said. “Our experience has shown us that victims and witnesses must report to law enforcement in order for predators and enablers to be prosecuted and kept away from kids. By telling victims to call the church, Soto is recklessly endangering kids by delaying criminal justice. It’s not the Bishop’s job to determine what is or isn’t a crime. That’s why we have police and prosecutors.”

    Copies of the letter and the educational flier will be available at the event.

     


  • Plead guilty to sexual assault? No worries! Brom has got your back!

    **Updated with correction and Diocese Reponse**

    File this under: “What the hell are they thinking?”

    Diocese of San Diego priest Fr. Jose Alexis Davila, who in April pled guilty to to battery and “engaging in an unlawful touching of an intimate part of the victim’s body,” is back at work at his old parish. You know, the one with the state-funded preschool. (The preschool, I am told, has been shut down)

    If you don’t know the whole story, Davila went to a parishioner’s home on New Year’s Eve (she was a 20-year-old woman) and forced himself on her. We don’t know if more happened. But really, the guilty plea is enough, n’est-ce pas?

    Yeah, say San Diego Bishop Robert Brom and his successor Cirillo Flores (who is a licensed civil lawyer), it’s enough to get you your job back! You WIN!

    It gets worse: Davila has been put right smack in the same place where parishioners formed a “lynch mob” and went to the victim’s home in an attempt to get her to recant her story. They kicked her mom out of Bible study. They badgered her family.

    Did Brom or Flores step in and say, “This is not what Jesus would do?” Did they try to hold listening sessions at the parish so that parishioners could hear from other victims? Hell, no. They sat back and allowed their flock to descend into a mob mentality and engage in pseudo-criminal behavior in order to thwart the justice system. Um, excuse me … anyone home on Paducah Drive? You have a big problem here. Don’t you have a Charter for this very thing?

    I could go into how these kinds of actions alienate survivors, scare victims into silence, discourage reporting, enable criminals, put kids in danger, etc. I could say that this flagrant and dangerous act defies common sense, Christianity, and the New Testament (which really frowns upon lynch mobs, endangering children and awarding criminals who show no contrition).

    But let’s look at the bishop’s own rulebook: Davila now has a record. Davila works in a position of power at a parish with a STATE FUNDED CHILD CARE CENTER. Davila will not pass any Church- and common sense-mandated background check.  THEY ARE BREAKING THEIR OWN RULES.

    The solution is simple, Most Revs. Brom and Flores: Let Davila work in a remote and secure facility where he has no contact with kids. Reach out to hurting confused parishioners. Embrace the victim and invite her and her family back to church (All those “Catholics Come Home” brochures? They don’t work when you allow your flock to form angry mobs and go after victims and their families and put offenders in nice jobs at parishes.)

    Below is the press release that SNAP sent out earlier today. I would go to the parish, but I’m afraid that I’d get killed. Nice.

    Here is the statement by Rodrigo Valdivia, Chancellor of the Diocese of San Diego:

    The Diocese of San Diego and Father Alexis Davila have fully cooperated with law enforcement and all legitimate and pastoral concerns have been addressed as regards his case.

    Consequently, we have no reason to believe that women or children are at risk because of his return to ministry. He returned to St. Jude at the beginning of May.

    I’m speechless. I welcome your comments …

    ******************************

    Convicted predator quietly put back in SD parish

    He pled guilty to unlawful sexual touching

    Yet, months later, he’s back around kids, teens

    Victim and her family were subject to “lynch mob”

    SNAP: “Bishop breaks promises & endangers parishioners”

    A Catholic priest who was convicted of trying to sexually assault a 20-year-old woman earlier this year has quietly been put back to work in a San Diego parish.

    Clergy sex abuse victims want him removed. They fear he may assault other vulnerable young women.

    According to the parish website, Fr. Jose Alexis Davila is now the Associate Pastor at St. Jude’s Catholic Church (3785 Boston Ave, San Diego, CA 92113, 619-264-2195). A concerned parishioner alerted a support group called SNAP, (the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) to the assignment.

    Today, leaders of SNAP are writing San Diego Bishop Brom and and his successor Bishop Crillo Flores, urging them to oust Davila.

    “These Catholic officials are basically telling employees that ‘If you try to rape a woman, we’ll still give you a job – but quietly – even if you’re convicted in court,’” said Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, SNAP Western Regional Director.

    Fr. Davila was arrested in January 2012 for attempting to sexually assault a 20-year-old woman who attended church at St. Jude’s Shrine of the West in Southcrest.  He pleaded guilty to battery and “engaging in an unlawful touching of an intimate part of the victim’s body” in April and was sentenced to three years’ probation. He was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

    Last week, SNAP learned from an anonymous source that Davila was back at the St. Jude’s. Calls to the parish confirmed that Davila is currently on the job. As best as SNAP can tell, there was no public announcement that Davila was reinstated.

    In a letter sent today to Brom and Flores, SNAP is pushing for Davila’s permanent removal

    SNAP is also worried because a state-funded child care center is located at the parish.

    SNAP’s letter urges Brom and his successor to:

    — Immediately remove Davila from the parish

    –Put him in a remote, secure, independently run treatment center where he has no contact with women or children,

    –Apologize to the victim and her family for their “irresponsible” actions, and

    — Disclose Davila’s presence at the parish to the California State Board of Education, which funds the child care center at St. Jude’s parish.

    “We were shocked to hear that a convicted predator is back working in a parish,” said Casteix. “This should have been a slam-dunk: Davila pled guilty to sexually attacking a vulnerable young woman. He should never work in a parish again, period. That’s what the bishops have promised us for the past 10 years. And once again, Brom and his successor Flores have turned their backs on the victims they promised to protect.”

    SNAP’s letter pulls no punches.

    “You are violating both the letter and the spirit of your own 2002 abuse ‘reforms,’” the letter says. “If Davila can go unpunished for attacking a woman, every woman, including others at and near his parish, are at risk.”

    SNAP is also concerned about the treatment of the victim in this case. According to press reports, parishioners harassed her family members, came to her home to try and force her to recant, and kicked her mother out of her Bible study group. Because Davila has been ordered to stay away from the victim, it is unknown if the victim and her family are even able to attend mass at the parish.

    SNAP believes that these actions scare other victims, witnesses and whistleblowers into staying silent.

    “When parishioners lashed out at the victim and shunned her mother from the church, you did nothing,” the letter says. “Because you are not reaching out and guiding your flock, you are supporting a predator at the cost of his victim and her family and the well-being of others.  We hope that the victim is reaching out and getting help and support from organizations and people who care about the welfare for survivors.”

    The diocese of San Diego is no stranger to sex abuse and cover up. In 2007, the Diocese settled with 144 victims of child sex abuse for $200 million. Diocese officials had attempted to hide behind bankruptcy protection, but allegations of fraud on the part of the Diocese eventually led to a settlement. Documents were released in October 2010 that exposed the scope and scale of the abuse and cover-up .

    Contact:
    Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, CA, SNAP Western Regional Director, 949-322-7434, jcasteix@gmail.com
    Barb Dorris of St. Louis, MO, SNAP Outreach Director, 314-503-0003, snapdorris@gmail.com
    David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director, 314-566-9790, snapclohessy@aol.com

     

  • Dissecting Dolan’s Apologists

     

    Documents recently exposed in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee showed that NY Cardinal Timothy Dolan paid predator priests $20,000 to quietly leave the priesthood. Yeah, really.

    The response from Dolan? Cue the crickets. But that doesn’t mean that Dolan’s apologists have also clammed up. In fact, they have been very loud in defending Dolan, saying, “Well, at least he got rid of these bad apples.” If you want to read those articles, you can look them up. I really don’t want to drive traffic to them via my links.

    I am not going to rehash the same news you can find on a million other websites. I am also not going to restate the 9,000 fine points of the public safety hazard Dolan caused. Every point is painfully obvious to anyone with a soul. Instead, this post is about why the apologists are dead wrong.

    1) This ain’t the Wizard of Oz, sister. So quit trying to divert my attention.

    The Catholic League, Archbishop Charles Chaput and others always like to say, “There’s nothing to see here. Abuse is way worse in public schools. It’s a liberal conspiracy.” Here are my responses: Yes there is; Maybe; and Hell, no.

    Lady Justice carries a sword and scales. Do you know why?  So that she may not remove the blindfold from her eyes. Justice must remain blind, whether you wear the clerical collar or are a federal politician. What murderer could stand before the court and say, “Gee, maybe I killed one person, but look at Hitler. He killed millions.” It’s a ridiculous argument and should be viewed as such.

    I am going to give the apologists the same answer that my father gave me every day of my life until I moved out for good: “I don’t care what ‘everyone else’ is doing. You need to obey MY rules.” Dolan was WRONG. He BROKE THE LAW by not reporting abuse. He covered up for abusers. He must be held accountable. Period.

    2) If it’s okay to pay predator priests $20K, why didn’t you pay good and honorable priests the same amount when they choose to leave the priesthood?

    I know a number of former priests (and have talked to a couple before writing this. I encourage others to comment or contact me). I do not know a single good, honorable priest who was given a dime when they left the priesthood. A friend of my father’s and former LA priest Terrence Halloran (who reached out to me and has been an amazing and honest source of information and support), left the priesthood in 1967 because he fell in love. When I asked him, he said, “I didn’t even get paid for November 1967, my last full month in ministry.” He was also handed a bill (eventually forgiven by the Archdiocese of LA) for his education.

    Patrick Wall, a former priest and my friend and colleage (and according to the Official Catholic Directory 1994-1996 a judge/advocate for the Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul – you can look it up. In fact, I INVITE you to, because it will be subject of a later post) was also handed a bill for his education when he left the priesthood. It was huge and it was never forgiven. He didn’t say that he was leaving to become an advocate for victims. He didn’t molest kids. He was just sick and tired of covering up for child molesters. His first job outside of the priesthood was as a nurses aide in a rest home. Now, the church is trying to say that he was never a judge/advocate. But the OCD never lies.

    These two good and honorable men were forced to enter the secular world with no savings, no support, no slush fund, no “wink and nod,” no annuity. So quit telling me that Dolan did the right thing by paying predators off to go away.  Twice-convicted child predator Oliver O’Grady is set for life, so why did Patrick Wall have to empty bedpans to eat?

    3) This has nothing to do with politics

    Yes, the bishops are suing the Obama administration regarding the Affordable Health Care Act. That is their right and duty under the Constitution. And yes, many liberal voices have spoken out for victims against the cover-up of abuse … but so have conservatives. So let’s cut to the chase: Sex abuse and cover up are not about politics. I know victims who have been ardent supporters of the cause who worked in the George H.W. Bush administration, victims who are Republicans, Libertarians, unaffiliated voters, and conservative Catholics. Some of my own biggest supporters are the mega-conservative Catholics who attending Latin services. Don’t tell me that this is a liberal conspiracy. Just as many Republicans were sexually abused as Democrats. Yes, the leadership of SNAP leans to the liberal side. So what? My husband is a Republican. (And I love my husband much more than I love David Clohessy. Sorry, David.)

    4) Predator public school teachers get paid off all of the time. Why aren’t you going after them?

    Yes, predator public school teachers get paid off all of the time. And I hate it, so I fight against it every time I can. But the public sector doesn’t use God, moral authority, eternal damnation or excommunication via lynch mod to hide abuse. The Catholic Church must be held to the same “higher standard” that that they demand of their faithful. Especially when they use tax dollars.

    That being said, the public sector MUST be held to account. That requires money, political power, influence and connections. It means fighting unions and the status quo. Heck, the U.S. Catholic Church itself doesn’t have the money to expose sex abuse in governmental organizations. It’s a grassroots movement in its infancy. But the real change will have to come from the inside with victims coming forward and demanding justice …just like the real change in exposing sex abuse in the Catholic Church came from victims and Catholics.

    We can continue the discussion in the comments or on Twitter at #CardinalDolan

    Find me on Twitter @jcasteix

     

     

     

  • Altarcations debuts at the Hollywood Fringe Festival

    “A bishop. A priest. A woman. A boy.”

    My friend Steve Julian‘s play Altarcations will debut in June at the 2012 Hollywood Fringe Festival. I met Steve (whom some of you may recognize as the morning host of KPCC‘s Morning Edition) after I “outed” one of his former high school teachers as an admitted perpetrator in the New York Times. When he told me about this play, I flipped (in a very good way). I’ve been lucky enough to see early drafts and talk to him about the progression of the play and the growth of the characters.

    It’s going to be an amazing production.

    Then I found out the play had been accepting into the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I flipped again.

    The play runs from June 8 to 14 24 at The Actors Circle Theater. Tickets are a VERY AFFORDABLE $10 to $15. You need to go. And then you need to tell your friends to go. You can buy tickets here.

    You can also donate to help offset the cost of the production through the Pasadena Arts Council EMERGE Fiscal Sponsorship Program. We all know that ticket sales alone do very little to help offset the costs of producing a play. An added plus: all donations are tax deductible. When you donate, you will sleep better at night and like yourself more, knowing that you contributed to the growth of live theater in Los Angeles.

     

  • More Trouble for Stockton: Oliver O’Grady Re-emerges

    

    Oliver O’Grady is like a cockroach: He will never, never, ever go away.

    A new Oliver O’Grady victim has come forward and filed a lawsuit against the notorious predator and the Diocese of Stockton. SNAP will have a press conference tomorrow to release details. On the heels of the Michael Kelly verdict, this is very, very disturbing news. I have yet to see any kind of apology from the diocese for either Kelly’s actions or the horrific legal hardball tactics that the diocese employed in an attempt to scare the victim into dropping his suit.

    O’Grady is currently serving a three-year prison sentence in Ireland for possession of child abuse images (child porn).

    Here is the press release:

     

    NEWS EVENT: Victims announce new lawsuit against notorious Stockton priest

    Child was abused after cleric admitted crimes to church officials & police

    Convicted in Stockton, O’Grady is now in Irish prison for child porn

    He worked at same parishes as Stockton priest recently found liable for abuse

    SNAP believes there may be more victims scared by diocese’s legal hardball

    What: Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, victims of child sex abuse and their supporters will announce a new lawsuit against notorious child molesting priest Oliver O’Grady and the Diocese of Stockton.  The lawsuit says:

    • O’Grady molested the victim after the cleric already admitted to abusing kids,
    • Stockton church officials knew O’Grady was a predator before the victim in this case was born, and
    • Catholic church officials covered up O’Grady’s crimes and silenced victims.

    Victims will also:

    • Show how O’Grady shared assignments with Fr. Michael Kelly, who fled to Ireland after a jury unanimously said Kelly was liable for child sex abuse.
    • Urge Stockton Bishop Blaire to reach out to other potential victims of O’Grady and Fr. Michael Kelly,
    • Beg Stockton church officials to stop cruel, hardball legal tactics against victims, and
    • Ask local law enforcement to continue criminal investigations against molesting clerics and their protectors.

    Where: Outside of the Stockton Diocese Headquarters, 212 North San Joaquin Street (at Channel) in Stockton

    When: Wednesday, May 2, at 1pm

    Who: Three-to-four victims of child sex abuse and their supporters who are members of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org). They will be joined by a former priest and monk—now advocate for victims—who is an expert on O’Grady.

    Why: This week in San Joaquin Superior Court, a 25-year-old victim of convicted serial predator Oliver O’Grady filed a child sex abuse and cover-up lawsuit against the Diocese of Stockton. The lawsuit says that the former priest molested the boy when the victim was five and six years old. During the time, O’Grady was assigned to St. Andrews in San Andreas and St. Anthony’s in Hughson, California.

    The victim was molested in 1992, just before O’Grady was arrested in Calaveras County. According to press reports and court documents, Stockton Diocese officials knew that O’Grady was a direct risk to kids as early as 1976. Police investigated other allegations against O’Grady in 1984, when O’Grady admitted to a mental health practitioner that he had molested children. Instead of removing O’Grady from ministry, then-bishop Cardinal Roger Mahony reassigned O’Grady to St. Andrews parish. The victim in this case was born in 1987, three years after church officials had direct knowledge that O’Grady was a child molester. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/ma-bos/settlements/SettlementStocktonOGrady.html

    O’Grady was convicted in 1993 of four counts of lewd and lascivious acts against two minors. In 1998, the two victims in the case won a $30 million settlement against the diocese. O’Grady was paroled in 2000 and deported to Ireland.

    In January 2012, O’Grady was sentenced to three years in prison for possession of child pornography, after law enforcement discovered the images on O’Grady’s computer and USB drive. According to press reports, the images were of victims as young as two.  http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0131/1224311002517.html

    O’Grady was the subject of the 2006 Academy Award nominated documentary “Deliver Us From Evil,” in which O’Grady admitted to molesting at least two dozen children. The actual number is believed to be closer to 100 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2008/11_12/2008_11_20_Smith_AbuseSuit.htm.

    Before O’Grady’s latest arrest, he was discovered volunteering with children in a church in The Netherlands and working in a McDonald’s, where he coordinated children’s birthday parties.

    Last month, a jury voted unanimously that another Stockton priest, Fr. Michael Kelly, was liable for molesting retired Air Force pilot Travis Trotter. http://www.modbee.com/2012/04/20/2166315/stockton-diocese-settles-with.html After the verdict, Kelly fled to Ireland.  The Stockton Diocese finally settled the case for $3.75 million.  To date, they have not apologized to Travis or acknowledged Kelly’s civil crimes.

    According to church records, Kelly and O’Grady, who were both from Ireland, worked in many of the same parishes at different times, including Our Lady of Fatima, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Andrews, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joachim’s http://www.bishopaccountability.org/assign/O’Grady_Oliver_Francis.htm#shorthand. SNAP believes there may be many more victims of both men who have been shamed into secrecy and silence.

    The victim in this case is represented by Sacramento attorney Dr. Joe George (916) 641-7300, joe@psyclaw.com