Catholic priest charged with sexual battery
Five months after the Catholic Diocese of Oakland placed the Rev. Varghese “George” Alengadan on leave following accusations of inappropriate behavior, the Alameda County district attorney announced Friday that the priest has been charged with one count of misdemeanor sexual battery involving a woman last year while he oversaw St. Joseph Basilica.
Alengadan, 67, unlawfully touched “an intimate part of Jane Doe” against her will and for his sexual arousal,
Assistant District Attorney Michael Nieto alleged in a complaint signed Thursday. He allegedly assaulted the woman on July 24, 2019, the same month four diocese employees and one volunteer at the Alameda church made sexual harassment claims against Alengadan. Last fall, the diocese conducted its own investigation and found the priest engaged in inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature with the women, leading to his resignation from his post there, according to the diocese.
He was eventually placed on leave after a former parishioner came forward with earlier allegations of sexual misconduct by Alengadan.
“Father George held a position of trust, authority and power at St. Joseph Basilica in Alameda,” said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. “As pastor of the church and the school, there existed a power imbalance over others that compounds the impact of sexual abuse. His position made his actions all the more devastating to the victim.”
After the allegations last July, Alengadan was removed from the Alameda church and transferred to Christ the King in Pleasant Hill, where he continued with his priestly duties. When parishioners learned of the criminal probe in February, they angrily protested his presence at that church and Alengadan was moved
again.
In an exclusive interview with The Chronicle in February, a woman recalled an earlier encounter with Alengadan in 2002 in which he allegedly fondled her before he was supposed to officiate her wedding.
The parents of the alleged victim said they immediately reported the 2002 allegations to the diocese, deciding against going to police because they trusted the church to handle it internally. But they said they never received a response. The mother again alerted the diocese of the complaint in 2016, sending an email to Bishop Michael C. Barber, but said again nothing was done.
The diocese had originally told The Chronicle that Alengadan had no earlier allegations of sexual impropriety, but later acknowledged it received the mother’s 2016 email. The revelation led the diocese to place
Alengadan on leave and to launch a new investigation into how the diocese handled the earlier complaints.
On Friday, the diocese said the victim in the criminal case also made the allegations to the diocese last year.
“Father George Alengadan is currently on administrative leave, following the Diocese’s protocols when serious allegations are presented,” the diocese said. “Under the terms of this canonical decree, Father Alengadan is not able to present himself in public as a priest, which includes he cannot celebrate a public Mass or other sacraments. The decree continues to be in effect and can only be lifted by Bishop Barber.”
The Chronicle has been unable to reach Alengadan. He is not in custody and has a court hearing Monday, according to the district attorney’s office.
Alengadan served as a pastor at three parishes. In 2017, Barber named him one of the diocese’s outstanding clergy. He sat on the bishop’s Priests Personnel Board, a sounding board for the bishop, and also worked as director of priests and deacon formation in the chancery office.
“It takes courage for victims and survivors of sexually motivated crimes, especially those crimes committed by a clergy member or other person in power, to report the crimes,” said O’Malley, whose family has been Oakland diocese parishioners. “To all victims and survivors, I say that my office will bring perpetrators to justice while providing support and resources to enable victims to work through and overcome the trauma of the assault.”
The district attorney’s office asked anyone victimized or who has additional information about Alengadan to contact Alameda prosecutors at 5102726222.