The Worthy Adversary

Tag: priest accused

  • Cue Angry Mob

    Victims? We don’t care about no stinkin’ victims!

     

    San Diego, California: Fr. Jose Alexis Davila was arrested in January 2012 and pled guilty in April for battery and “unlawful touching of an intimate part of a victim’s body.” He is serving three years’ probation.

    Parishioners tried to accost the victim’s mother at prayer group in an attempt to get her to recant her story, confronted her other family members and called the 19-year-old a liar in the media.

    The diocese put Davila back into unresricted ministry in May, saying

    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.

    When SNAP asked that Davila (who is still on probation), be taken out of the parish and assigned to a remote and secure facility where he would have no contact with women and children, parishoners defended the priest … who PLED GUILTY. (Hello? Anyone home?)

    No one at the church or the diocese has publicly said a prayer or a word of support of the victim. (but I am grateful for the whistleblower at the parish who called to tell me that Bishop Brom snuck Davila back into ministry. I mean, if Davila is so awesome, why not make a public announcement about it?)

     

    Ontario, California: In 2011 Fr. Alejandro Castillo pled guilty to lewd and lascivious acts upon a child (in the sentencing documents, prosecutors said that five children had accused Castillo of sexual abuse). He served a year in jail.

    Before the plea, parishioners held car washes and rallies to support the priest, saying that the young victims were not telling the truth.

    After Castillo was released from jail in May, those same supporters threw a huge party in support of the priest. Since there were numerous children present at the party, Castillo was thrown back in jail for violating probation.

    No parishioner or supporter has apologized to the victim in the case, who is still a minor. No one has raised a nickel to help the child with therapy.

     

    Redding, California: Fr. Uriel Ojeda, who was arrested in November 2011, is charged with seven felony counts of sexual molestation of a child under 14. According to an unreleased diocese report, Ojeda admitted to repeatedly abusing the girl.

    When the priest’s bail was lowered, supporters released balloons outside of the courtroom. Dozens of supporters have shown up at every one of his hearings, selling t-shirts, accepting donations for Ojeda’s legal fees, and singing prayers.

    No one has publicly sung a prayer for the young victim, who is still a minor.

     

    Stockton, California: A jury unanimously found that Fr. Michael Kelly sexually abused a boy (another victim has since come forward). Kelly skipped the country. The Diocese doesn’t care … but they still paid the victim $3.75 million in a settlement, because they knew that the jury would award ten times that much for the cover-up and callousness of Stockton Diocese officials.

    Statement from the diocese? Here. Apology to victim(s)? No way.

     

    I’m not saying that parishioners should not pray for these priests, love these priests, or support them quietly and respectfully. They should.  Here’s how.

    I AM saying that if there are victims of child sexual abuse at ANY of these parishes (by priests, dentists, parents, boy scout leaders, teachers, babysitters, etc) do you REALLY think that they believe it’s safe to report?!

    Hell, I’m not going anywhere near those parishes, because I might get punched.

     

    Finally … where are the Bishops?! Last time I read the King James Bible:

    But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

    There are a lot of children—who have been vindicated in the courts—who are suffering doubly. They were sexually abused, and now they are shunned by their religious community.

    Isn’t is time for Bishops Jaime Soto, Gerald Barnes, Stephen Blaire and Robert Brom to give a lick about the victims and show these well-intentioned (but SORELY misguided) Catholics that they are using their church as an excuse to defend criminals?

    Or am I asking to much?

     

     

  • Clarity at Cantwell High School

     

    Sometimes, the most profound statements at a press conference come from the reporters, not us.

    Today, my friend and colleague Ken Smolka and I were in front of Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, California. We were there because the Irish Chrisitian Brothers, the religious order that ran Cantwell High School, declared bankruptcy when more than 50 victims of child sex abuse in Washington State and Canada came forward to file civil sex abuse and cover-up suits. Order officials sought bankruptcy protection to avoid embarrassing public civil trials. The Christian Brothers are the 10th diocese or religious order to take this (less than pastoral) path.

    The Brothers ran Cantwell High School until 1990, when Cardinal Roger Mahony kicked them out and put the Jesuits in their place. No real explanation was given.

    But I have an idea: in the six yearbooks I have reviewed, we have found four known perpetrators who worked at the school (three of them were there at the same time). Maybe Mahony realized that even he couldn’t keep a lid on the Christian Brothers much longer.

    There was Thomas Cuthbert Ford, who was convicted in 2000 of violently beating abandoned children between 1956 and 1959 at the Mt. Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. He had been hiding in the United States at schools like Damien Memorial High in Honolulu, Cantwell and Bergen Catholic (Bergen, NJ) until he was finally extradicted to Canada. Ford was the 11th Irish Christian Brother to be sentenced for crimes at Mt. Cashel.  He was principal of Cantwell in 1980.

    We also found Br. Daniel Peter Ryan, a former vice principal, Br. Jerome Heustis, a former coach and teacher and Br. Robert Satterthwaite, a former teacher. All of these guys are the subject of numerous sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits. Satterthwaite was even named (although misidentified) in Mahony’s infamous “Report to the People of God.”

    We told the reporter the reason we were there: victims from Cantwell only have until August 1, 2012 to come forward, expose their abusers, and seek justice (including secret church documents) in the courts.

    We also told her that victims’ coming forward is important for more than healing, but also for protecting children and punishing wrong doers. Although some of the men who abused children are dead, many are not. Many of the men who covered up for the predators are still alive. Every official in the Christian Brothers organization is still sitting on important secret church documents that will expose more criminals and outline the scope and scale of abuse. These documents will only be released if victims come forward. It is VITALLY important that every victim at Cantwell come forward before the deadline, we said.

    The Christian Brothers still run schools across the United States, and they are still covering up for abusers.

    She looked at us for a moment in silence. Then she said, “This is huge. Why hasn’t the story gotten more publicity?”

    Exactly.

    Why isn’t the new LA Archbishop standing outside of the school? (He gets WAY better press than I do) Where is the president of the Irish Christian Brothers? Shouldn’t he be out in front of every single school where a known abuser worked? Nah. That would be too … pastoral.

    And the last thing they want to do is let victims know they have rights.

     

     

     

  • Putting the “Bully” in the religious Bully Pulpit

     

    Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation (Luke 6:24–26)

     

    The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, one of the main organizations for whom I volunteer my advocacy efforts (and to whom I donate), has recently been under siege in Missouri.

    Catholic bishops there (under the direction of the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue and a coalition of high-ranking U.S. Bishops, we have learned), have drawn SNAP into two lawsuits, asking for 20+ years of confidential correspondence with survivors and the press, and deposing executive director David Clohessy.

    From the New York Times:

    Donohue said leading bishops he knew had resolved to fight back more aggressively against the group: “The bishops have come together collectively. I can’t give you the names, but there’s a growing consensus on the part of the bishops that they had better toughen up and go out and buy some good lawyers to get tough. We don’t need altar boys.”

    SNAP is NOT a plaintiff in either lawsuit, and has had no contact whatsoever with the alleged victim in the case where Clohessy was deposed. (Note, this is the same Diocese under indictment for child endangerment)

    You can read the whole story about the cases in the New York Times here, and read their editorial here.

    The goal of the bishops? Bankrupt SNAP.

    I have not commented on the events for a number of reasons. I didn’t want to be distracted from my primary work. I didn’t also didn’t want to draw the ire and wrath of the people driving the bus over my colleagues. But mostly, I didn’t comment because it made me sad. Very, very sad.

    I suppose I really wished that the Catholic Church would live up to the New Testament values that they taught me as a child. Things like, “love your enemy,” and verse 10 of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

    When push comes to shove, that’s all that victims have ever wanted: justice. The only reason now that victims are using the court system is because Catholic officials did not do the right thing in the first place. They didn’t call the cops. They didn’t protect kids. And when victims (like me) came forward to our bishops, church officials lied to us. The only way to get truth was through civil justice.

    But like many people, I still hold a particular naiveté. A part of me thought that while the Bishops may not agree with SNAP and certainly do not like SNAP, they believe that the group has the right to exist. It makes me sad when people like Bill Donohue and others resort to name calling and “sneaking into” the SNAP convention (which is open to the public).

    And I can’t help but make a biblical comparison to David and Goliath. SNAP’s operating budget last year was in the $300-400,000 range. That’s less than the operating budget of a FAILING parish.

    But with that shoestring, they were able to talk to hundreds of survivors who called the help line or reached out to the dozens of local leaders, refer many of those people to therapists, launch a complaint with the ICC (which sent 5 SNAP leaders to Europe in the hopes of raising awareness to crimes committed by the Vatican), and help people who are hurting.

    The vast majority of that work is done by volunteers, like me. Many volunteers are still practicing Catholics (far from the “menace” we are made out to be).

    Time will tell, but I believe that these efforts by the Bishops will backfire horribly. The first reason is clear: volunteers like myself and the local leaders in almost every state will keep plugging along. We’ll keep answering our phone and email, paying for the helpline, holding meetings, helping survivors through the healing process, and raising awareness. We don’t collect paychecks from SNAP. If the budget of the organization is gone, we’ll just go back to the “old days” when SNAP was truly a network. It will be tough, but we will muddle through. Why? Because the call for justice and healing is too strong to ignore.

    The second reason is something that the bishops haven’t bargained on: the majority of the calls I get now are from the Faithful. When they can’t get answers from their dioceses, they call me. When they see something that is wrong, they call me. When they want to know if their parish school is safe, they call me.

    The Bishops and their team are slowly alienating almost every member of their base. First, by not following their own biblical teachings, and second, by shutting down any kind of dialogue with the Faithful, victims, and the community.

    They are bullies. And I pity them.


     

     

     

  • San Diego and the Lynch Mob Mentality

    From the latest in San Diego—where a modern-day lynch mob has started to intimidate victims and their family members—click here

  • NEWS: Abuse victims to bishop: ‘Stop the lynch mob’

    NEWS: Abuse victims to bishop: ‘Stop the lynch mob’

    Parishioners are confronting, intimidating family members of potential abuse victim

    Hurt and confused Catholics are giving predators a “free pass,” SNAP says

    You must help create a victim-safe environment in your churches, they demand

    In response to what they are calling a “modern day lynch mob,” victims of sexual abuse are begging the San Diego bishops to educate parishioners on how respond appropriately when priests are accused of molesting kids.

    Today, leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNnetwork.org), are asking San Diego Bishop Robert Brom and the newly appointed co-adjudicator Bishop Cirilo Flores (who will assume Brom’s position when Brom retires next year) to reach out to parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in downtown, some of whom have confronted and threatened family members of a young woman who accused a priest of sexual abuse.

    The priest, Fr. Jose Davila, also know as “Fr. Alexis,” has admitted “something taking place” with the 20-year-old woman and has turned himself in to police. http://www.10news.com/news/30138281/detail.html

    In response to the news, some members of the parish confronted the brother of the victim, after the victim’s mother did not show up for her usual prayer group.  In press reports, the parishioners claim that they were going to “demand the truth” from the mother for “damaging the priest’s reputation.”

    Leaders of SNAP were horrified to learn of the news. “It is terribly difficult for any victim of abuse to come forward,” said Joelle Casteix, SNAP Western Regional Director. “But when parishioners begin to form mobs and intimidate family members, ALL victims of sexual abuse, no matter the perpetrator, will be scared and shamed into silence.  By hurting this woman and her family, parishioners are giving ALL predators a free pass.”

    SNAP is also sending Brom the link to an online brochure, “What To Do If Your Priest Is Accused of Abuse,” that educates Catholics about what the group calls “safe, helpful and compassionate ways that people can support their priest.”

    “Your parishioners are suffering.  Because they are hurt and confused, they are lashing out … As best we can tell, not a single bishop on the planet has taught his flock about the compassionate and helpful ways to act when a priest is accused of molesting a child,” SNAP’s letter says.  “We hope you’ll be the first.”

    The letter also asks that the bishops personally visit the parish and “make a public announcement that the harassment and intimidation of victims, witnesses and whistleblowers will not be tolerated in the Diocese of San Diego.”

    A copy of the letter is below.  The brochure can be accessed at http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/when_priest_accused.htm

    Contact:

    Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, CA, SNAP Western Regional Director jcasteix@gmail.com 949-322-7434

    Barb Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director SNAPdorris@gmail.com 314-503-0003

    David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP National Director SNAPclohessy@aol.com 314-566-9790

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

    SNAP – The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
    P.O. Box 6416
    Chicago, IL 60680
    SNAPNetwork.org

    January 5, 2011

    Most Reverend Robert Brom
    Most Reverend Cirilo Flores, co-adjudicator
    Diocese of San Diego
    3888 Paducah Drive
    San Diego, CA 92117
    858-490-8272 fax

    Dear Bishop Brom and Bishop Flores,

    We are victims of sexual abuse who are members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), the nation’s largest support group for men and women who were sexually abused in religious or institutional settings.  We are writing you today to alert you a serious problem at St. Joseph’s in downtown San Diego that requires your immediate attention.

    As you may know, Fr. Jose Davila has admitted to potential wrongdoing with a 20-year-old parishioner and has turned himself into the police. But what is even more disturbing is that a few of the parishioners at the parish have begun to confront and harass the victim’s family members, calling the victim names, intimidating the family members and scaring them into silence.

    This is dangerous behavior. Not only are they causing a great amount of personal pain to an already hurt victim and her family, but they are also scaring ALL victims of sexual abuse into silence, no matter the perpetrator.  No victim of abuse will ever feel safe coming forward to report if they know they will be greeted by a lynch mob.

    Your parishioners are suffering.  Because they are hurt and confused, they are lashing out. Instead of engaging in stall tactics and telling Catholics half-truths, now is the time to come clean, support victims and allow everyone to heal.  Keeping your flock in the dark and allowing them to attack victims helps no one. Entire communities are destroyed when someone is sexually abused by a person in a position of trust.  Now is the time for you to do the right thing.

    If you genuinely want to prevent abuse and help victims, you should do all you can to create a more “victim-friendly” environment, which encourages – not discourages – the reporting of child sex crimes.

    Despite hundreds of self-serving policies, programs, procedures and panels (and other public relations gestures) as best we can tell, not a single bishop on the planet has made an effort to teach his flock about the compassionate and helpful ways to act when a priest is accused of molesting a child. We hope you’ll be the first.

    In light of this, we ask the following:

    – Distribute the online brochure “What To Do When Your Priest is Accused of Abuse” to every parish in the diocese, including the lay leadership of St. Joseph,

    – Personally visit the parish and reach out to potential victims and hurting Catholics, and

    – Make a public announcement that the harassment and intimidation of victims, witnesses and whistleblowers will not be tolerated in the Diocese of San Diego.

    We look forward to your immediate response and action in this matter.  The online brochure may be found at http://www.snapnetwork.org/links_homepage/when_priest_accused.htm and is attached at the bottom of this message.

     

    Sincerely,

    Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, CA, SNAP Western Regional Director SNAPCasteix@gmail.com 949-322-7434

    Barb Dorris of St. Louis, SNAP Outreach Director SNAPdorris@gmail.com 314-503-0003