Victim advocates claim diocese understated number of abusers

OAKLAND » A prominent victim advocate group contends that the weekend disclosure of 45 names of Oakland diocese clergy credibly accused of sexually abusing children is a lowball figure that strategically parses out publicly known abusers, and called for significantly more information to be released.

“We believe that there are many more men who have been publicly identified and have an association with the Diocese of Oakland who have not been included on the list,” reads a statement from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

The list includes 20 diocesan priests accused of abusing 174 children. It also includes three priests from other dioceses and 22 priests, deacons or brothers affiliated with religious orders such as the Salesians and Franciscans who had worked within the Oakland diocese.

SNAP took particular issue with a statement in the disclosure letter by Bishop Michael Barber asserting there “has been no credible incident of abuse” involving a child by a deacon or priest in the diocese since 1988, and there are no active priests or deacons in the diocese who have been credibly accused of abusing children.

“It has been demonstrated in Illinois and even here in this state that church officials can not always be trusted to disclose all the names or to determine which allegations are ‘credible,’ ” SNAP said in its Monday statement.

That includes the Rev. Alex Castillo, whom the diocese announced Jan. 31 was put on administrative leave and removed from priestly duties after an accusation of “inappropriate conduct with a minor” that is being investigated by Oakland police. The diocese has said he was not included in the Monday disclosure because his allegation remains under investigation, and Barber said the “living list” of names “will be updated as needed.”

Diocesan spokeswoman Helen Osman has said others may be using different criteria for determining credible accusations, but that anyone with information about priests not on the diocese’s list “should report to law enforcement and, if they are willing, contact the diocese.”

The Oakland diocese, which spans Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is the second in the Bay Area to take the extraordinary step, following a similar move by the Diocese of San Jose in October. Unlike the San Jose diocese, Oakland did not describe the allegations against the named clergy.

SNAP also raised concern about the continued work of the Rev. Kenneth Hamilton, who was the subject of sexual abuse allegations that prompted the Archdiocese of New Orleans to settle a lawsuit against him — involving his work there at Society of the Divine Word — and a retired deacon in December. Hamilton denied the allegations.

The group said there was some indication that Hamilton was still serving at St. Columba Catholic Church in North Oakland, which Osman said was not the case, and appears to be an outdated entry on the St. Columba website. She did say that Hamilton, who is a lecturer at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, would be eligible to serve in the diocese based on what is known so far.

“We have received no information from either the Archdiocese of New Orleans or the Society of the Divine Word regarding the details which led to the settlement, but we are reaching out to both institutions,” Osman wrote in an email to this news organization Monday. “As soon as we have clear information we will update the public.”

Also in its critique Monday, SNAP called for vastly more transparency surrounding the disclosures, given the church’s history of selectively addressing widespread sexual abuse by clergy.

“The diocese also needs to expand its list of diocesan priests to include work histories, information about current whereabouts and, most critically, when the diocese first learned of the allegations and when they finally took action. They should also provide additional information about extern and order priests, as well as the religious brothers included on the list,” the SNAP statement concludes.

“Certainly, church officials must have more information about these men, even if only where they worked within the diocese. Only by including all this information can we get a clearer picture of what went wrong in Oakland and what must be done now to protect children and prevent abuse,” the group wrote.

The diocese was receptive to the suggestion in its Monday response.

“We appreciate SNAP’s recommendation to expand the information we are providing regarding work assignments,” Osman wrote. “As Chancellor (Stephen) Wilcox has stated, we see this list as a work in progress and intend to provide more information as we are able.”