Fr. Arwyn N. Diesta
Ordained: 1978
Assignments:
- 1978: Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles, CA
- 1979-1982: St. Stephen, Monterey Park, CA
- 1983-1988: Holy Innocents, Long Beach, CA
- 1989-2018: Unknown
Fr. Arwyn N. Diesta was an extern priest ordained for the Diocese of Sorsogon, Philippines who worked in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Fr. Diesta allegedly returned to the Philippines at some point. In 1992, Cardinal Roger Mahony learned that Fr. Diesta was accused of sexually abusing a seminary student. Shortly thereafter, Cardinal Mahony wrote a letter to Fr. Diesta’s bishop in the Philippines, urging the bishop to restrict Fr. Diesta’s access to children and force Fr. Diesta to undergo a psychological evaluation. The bishop took no action in response to Cardinal Mahony’s letter and Fr. Diesta continued to have unrestricted access to children. Cardinal Mahony notified the Vatican of the accusations against Fr. Diesta, writing the following in a 1993 letter: “Obviously, if Father Diesta has indeed engaged in such sexual misconduct in the past, and I am convinced that he has, then he should not be in any ministry involving young people—especially young seminarians.” In 2001, Cardinal Mahony found Fr. Diesta working as a U.S. Navy Chaplain and at a seminary in the Philippines. Cardinal Mahony wrote another letter to the Vatican. The Vatican indicated that it had forwarded the allegations against Fr. Diesta to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Mahony informed the U.S. Military, Los Angeles Police, and authorities in the Philippines of the allegations against Fr. Diesta. As of 2013, Fr. Diesta was reportedly an active priest in the Philippines. Fr. Diesta was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ list of priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors. His current whereabouts and whether he has access to minors are unknown.