Diocese names eight priests as alleged sexual predators

SAN DIEGO—The clerical sexual abuse scandal rocking the Roman Catholic Church hit home Sept. 13, as the Diocese of San Diego added eight priests to the list of those believed to have molested children.

“This is a response to the terrible moment we are in,” said Bishop Robert McElroy, citing a recent Pennsylvania grand jury report that found 1,000 children there had been molested by Pittsburgh-area priests, and the resignation of Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of sexually assaulting altar boys, seminarians and priests.

“The cascade of emotions that this causes the survivors of the abuse, as well as other people in the pews, has caused a tumult of anger, grief, upset, incomprehension, disillusionment,” McElroy said.

The new names—the Revs. Jose Chavarin, Raymond Etienne, J. Patrick Foley, Michael French, Richard Houck, George Lally and Paolino Montagna, plus Msgr. Mark Medaer—were released in piecemeal fashion, with critical details missing.

This list extends the roster of alleged predator priests established by a landmark legal case that was concluded 11 years ago. On Sept. 7, 2007, the diocese settled 144 claims of child sexual abuse by 48 priests and one lay employee. The payments totaled $198.1 million, the second-largest settlement by a Catholic diocese in the United States.

Last Thursday’s announcement was prompted by the Pennsylvania grand jury report, the McCarrick case and other recent revelations that have called into question the church’s moral authority and its willingness to honestly address this scandal.

“There is a broad call for transparency,” McElroy said. “When we looked at it, we wanted to meet that as best we could.”

The newly listed priests were accused of abuse since the 2007 settlement, or reported to the diocese earlier in files that had been tucked away or mislaid. They were overlooked until, the bishop said, a recent review of records.

“They never kept good records on this stuff until recently,” McElroy said. “They kept records, but not in a very systematic way.”

Advocates for victims said that revealing the identities of accused predators is a valuable step.

“It makes them more accountable,” said Dr. Marianne Benkert, a La Jolla-based psychiatrist who, with her husband, the late Richard Sipe, studied clerical sexual abuse. “And there are still some victims of these priests here in San Diego. It will give those victims some comfort to see their abusers exposed.”

“Some dioceses are trying to do proactive disclosures, which is great—disclosures are super important,” said Tim Lennon, president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “But it’s not because of the goodness of their hearts. They want to protect themselves as much as they can.”

This crisis is worldwide, a fact underscored Thursday, when Pope Francis and several top American bishops conferred on McCarrick’s case. The day before, the Vatican announced that the pontiff will convene the world’s bishops for a February 2019 meeting on the protection of minors.

In San Diego, McElroy will embark on a “listening tour” of the diocese, stopping at eight parishes between Oct. 1 and Nov. 5.

“I’ve met with a number of victims,” McElroy said. “They are looking for— they are really looking for the perpetrator to say it to them, but often the perpetrator is dead—so they are looking for the church to say we are truly sorry for this.”