The numbers don’t lie. And fortunately, the people of San Francisco are finally taking notice.
Survivors of sexual abuse in California have again done the work towards public safety that the Archdiocese of San Francisco refuses to do— release a list of credibly accused abusive priests who have worked in the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Almost every other diocese in the United States has released a list of credibly accused priests, spawned by the blockbuster findings of the Pennsylvania State Grand Jury Report into sexual abuse in six dioceses in that state. With the recent 2021 release of a list from the Diocese of Fresno, San Francisco remains the only diocese in California that refuses to disclose the names of predators they know who worked in their churches, schools, and services.
The work by SNAP is not the first time advocates have pressured Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to release names. In 2018—before the California Child Victim’s Act opened a window for survivors—we released a comprehensive report that included 135 priests who worked in the Archdiocese of San Francisco and were accused of abuse.
In June of 2021, we stood with brave survivors in the city, demanding that San Francisco church officials warn the public of the danger and release a list. The following May, Archbishop Cordileone joined other California Bishops to request the United States Supreme Court overturn the California Child Victims Act. The bishops’ cowardice attempt to block survivors from seeking justice proved to be unsuccessful.
Both requests from us and SNAP were met with silence by Cordileone. His attempts to block survivors and to harbor child-abusing priests must not continue.
SNAPs updated list and demands for transparency cannot be met with deaf ears. We hope the media coverage encourages San Francisco Catholics to stand up and demand change. We also urge everyone living in the Bay Area to look closely at the SNAPs list and our reports.
And still, the question remains: since Cordileone won’t tell us who the predators are, how can they guarantee the safety of any child in any Catholic parish or school within their borders?