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San Luis Obispo priest credibly accused of child abuse

January 3, 2019

The Monterey Diocese has released a report that identifies every Catholic priest they say has been credibly accused of child sexual abuse including a clergyman who worked in San Luis Obispo County. [Cal Coast Times]

The report, which lists 30 clergyman, includes former Mission San Luis Obispo Priest Alberto Battagliol. He allegedly molested several boys in the 1970s, but the allegations were not made public until several lawsuits were filed in 2003.

Battagliola worked as a priest at Mission San Luis Obispo from 1972 through 1974. In 1977, Battagliola was murdered in a San Francisco motel room.

In 2003, a 44-year-old San Luis Obispo man filed a lawsuit against the Monterey Diocese claiming that Battagliola sexually abused him when he was a 14-year-old altar boy.

None of the people listed in the report are still working for the diocese. Many of them are deceased.

A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles in October, alleges clergy officials at ten dioceses in California conspired to cover up sexual assaults within the church. The Diocese of Monterey responded with the release of the names of 30 priests who they determined molested children.

“To promote transparency and trust, the Diocese has engaged in a review of the files of all Clergy with known allegations of sexual misconduct as well as reviewed the files of all currently active Clergy in the Diocese of Monterey to determine if there are any allegations of sexual misconduct with a child against any Clergyman currently in ministry,” the report says.


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There was a little bit of good news in this article,


———–> In 1977, Battagliola was murdered in a San Francisco motel room.


2

That hotel room was located in the Tenderloin District of the City to boot.


1

There is a brand-new sheriff in the local Catholic diocese — Bishop Danny Garcia who replaced the late Bishop Richard Garcia on 01 January. I suspect the new bishop wants to clear the decks and also make a serious statement, all at the same time.


Another serious issue is how many sexually abusive crimes of all types were committed by local Catholic clergy that don’t meet definition of “child sexual abuse”? Take the 1985 case of the Rev. Mike Marini (a former highly problematic Old Mission SLO priest) and another priest, Joseph Watt of Resurrection Church in Aptos, CA.


A lawsuit by victim Gary Crabtree said he was working in the sacristy of St. Joseph’s Church when he went to the two priests for help with his addiction to alcohol. He alleged in court documents that the priests then plied him with drugs and marijuana and took advantage of him. What was Marini’s respose?


“It happened once, and my impression was that it was consensual,” Marini said Saturday. “How do I rape a 30-year-old man?” For a priest to treat anyone like that — especially someone that came to them looking for help is out and out evil.


Reference: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2002_05_05_Friedrich_RecordsShow_Michael_Marini_ETC.htm


In addition to “child sexual abuse”, the Church has a great deal of additional degenerate filth to deal with. Let’s hope the new Bishop of Monterey has the courage to enact real reform.


12

All statute of limitations for these types of crimes should be removed, an idea that certain religious organizations strongly oppose.


15

Just make sure that no statute of limitations exists for anyone — and not simply the Catholic Church.


8

Certainly there is a certain percentage of these reports that are false but that being said the Catholic church needs to open up its books and files as willingly as they do their collection plates…


11

In my opinion the Catholic church plus all religious organizations should be required to be totally transparent in their financial doings like other companies. The public should have access to examine their records. How much money has been spent over decades and centuries protecting priests who rape children? They aren’t “special”. They belong in prison like anyone else who commits the same crime.


23