CV NEWS FEED // NBC Bay Area last week published an investigation video on sexual abuse allegations in the California Catholic Church. The NBC video decried that several accused priests are still in active ministry, an accusation that has been deemed unfair by several California dioceses, especially the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
NBC Bay Area Investigative Video on Sexual Abuse Lawsuits
On March 2 NBC published the investigative video, titled “Reckoning,” about “a new wave of lawsuits accusing Catholic clergy of sexually abusing children,” filed against the Catholic Church in Northern California by more than 1500 people since 2020.
In August of 2023, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced it was filing for bankruptcy reorganization in order “to manage and resolve the more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse brought against [the archdiocese] under California Assembly Bill 218, which allowed decades-old claims to be filed by December 31, 2022, that otherwise were time barred.”
The NBC video highlighted that most of the allegations are against priests who have died, but focused on eight of the priests accused in ongoing lawsuits currently working for the archdiocese of San Francisco. The video includes interviews with over a dozen alleged abuse victims, their attorneys, and Catholic parishioners in the state.
The video criticizes the archdiocese’s internal investigative process in abuse cases, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco specifically for refusing to release a list of the names of all accused priests.
The video also includes footage of the investigative journalist requesting comments from retired priests who were acquitted of sexual abuse charges that allegedly took place in the 80’s and 90’s.
The “Reckoning” webpage introduction reads,
Hundreds of Northern California priests are being accused for the first time, including some still working in churches and schools today. NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit dug through the new claims, which suggest the decades-long scandal could go far deeper than the public previously knew.
NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit dug through the new claims, which suggest the decades-long scandal could go far deeper than the public previously knew.
Archbishop Cordileone of San Francisco in November released a statement about how the Church investigates abuse allegations. He also stated that certain media outlets report on such allegations and procedures in an “unjust” way.
If certain media outlets “see a priest who has an allegation against him but is still an active ministry, they ask questions and report about it,” Archbishop Cordileone explained in a November 16 statement:
The reason I’m sharing this message with you today is that there is at least one media outlet reporting on sexual assault allegations that have already been thoroughly investigated and determined by our independent review board (IRB) to be not sustained.
Certain media outlets, Cordileone said in his statement, are “comparing claims of abuse by priests with our list of priests in good standing with faculties to serving the archdiocese, which we post on our website.”
“There are good reasons why these priests are in good standing with faculties to minister in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and they deserve our respect and our support,” Cordileone added. “Occurrences of abuse within the Catholic Church are very rare today.”
Although a serious investigation of the sexual assault allegations determined several allegations “not sustained,” Cordileone said, “[t]his doesn’t stop some media outlets from reporting such allegations in irresponsible ways that damage the reputations of good priests.”
The Archdiocese’s Internal Investigation Process
“The Archdiocese treats every accusation of sexual abuse seriously, and immediate steps are taken to protect the rights of both the alleged abuse survivor and the alleged abuser,” Cordileone said. He explained that the archdiocese removes a priest from active ministry after an accusation is filed against him, while an investigation is underway.
An investigative report is submitted to the IRB, “whose members include an abuse survivor, a psychologist, two physicians, and a retired police officer,” Cordileone said. “These are experts in their respective fields with unique experiences that I heavily rely on.”
“The recommendations help to determine the best course of action,” he continued:
For example, if the IRB finds that there is sufficient evidence tied to an allegation to warrant a canonical trial, and if the outcome of that trial results in a conviction, then the accused priest would be permanently removed from ministry unless he freely agrees to be so removed prior to the trial.
If on the other hand, the IRB finds that an accusation is not sustained, then in justice, the priest is reinstated to active ministry and damage to his reputation is remediated.
Cordileone added that the steps the archdiocese and the church have taken to address sexual abuse allegations “set the standard for other organizations showing what can and should be done to protect our children.”
The archbishop emphasized that Catholic schools and parishes are among “the safest places for children,” and requested prayers “for survivors of sexual abuse and also for the priests who suffer damage to their reputations due to irresponsible and unjust media reports.”
