Stockton Diocese adds 29 names to credibly accused list

Accusations are from outside county, but priests served in area

STOCKTON — After an extensive review of its personnel files, the Diocese of Stockton announced Thursday that it had updated and expanded its list of priests who have faced credible accusations of sexual abuse of a child.

When originally published in 2017, the list only included clergy or religious men who were accused of abuse that occurred within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Stockton or who were accused while serving for the diocese.

This week’s update included the names of 27 additional priests and two religious order brothers who served the diocese at some point in time, but were accused elsewhere.

In a letter published on the diocesan website, Bishop Myron J. Cotta said he hoped the updated list would “offer a more complete picture of how the sin of clergy sexual abuse caused pain among the People of God.”

He said the update is part of the diocese’s effort to confront the sins of the past and atone for them.

“The process of atoning for the horrible sins of clergy sexual abuse requires us to continually revisit this list and seek to make it as thorough as we can,” Cotta said. “A thorough, honest and open accounting of the sins of the past is necessary if our Church and the many victim survivors of clergy abuse are to find healing.”

Of the new names added to the list of credible accusations, none served at St. Anne’s in Lodi. However, several served at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, St. Mary of the Assumption in Stockton and Catholic Charities, among other locations.

The update was prepared by Kinsale Management Consulting, led by Dr. Kathleen McChesney, a former executive assistant director of the FBI and a founding member of the Office of Child Protection at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

During the review of personnel files, Kinsale found one case already on the diocese’s published list for which there was insufficient information to classify the allegation as credible.

At the suggestion of the firm and after review by the Diocesan Review Board, the name of Father Manual Pascual, who died in 2019, was removed from the list.

Since 2002, the diocese has implemented safeguards to protect children and adults from clergy sexual abuse. These policies and procedures have been continually strengthened, and are reviewed on an ongoing basis, the diocese said.

To view the complete list of credibly accused, or to watch a message from Bishop Cotta, visit www.stocktondiocese.org/ credibly-accused.