Skip to Content
California Child Sexual Assault Attorneys 916-623-4914
Top

Clergy Childhood Sexual Abuse presser 10:30 a.m., tomorrow, San Diego- New pedophile priest lawsuit is filed Cleric has ‘very u

Joseph C. George, Ph.D. logo over church pew background

New pedophile priest lawsuit is filed

Cleric has ‘very unusual’ work history

He was “removed from the priesthoodaccording to San Diego Diocese

But church staff claim they don’t know why

Predator was in at least 2 different diocese & 2 states

Group blasts San Diego Catholic church officials

Their ‘accused predators’ lists is incomplete, SNAP says

And they should stop forcing victims to sign away their legal rights

WHAT

An abuse victim of a perpetrator who is not on the Diocese of San Diego list and her attorney at a sidewalk new conference.

--reveal that a new civil case has been filed against a reportedly abusive Catholic priest, thanks to a new state law that took effect on January 1st, and

--release a previously-secret letter from a church staffer who claims to not have details about why his faculties were removed. However, minimal research showed that he continued to serve as a priest in Ohio and Fresno.

They will also demand that San Diego’s bishop

--explain the cleric’s ‘odd’ pattern of being transferred,

--add more known names to his ‘credibly accused clerics’ list, and

--start doing ‘aggressive outreach’ to find and help others who were victimized by clerics and are still ‘suffering in shame, silence and self-blame.’

WHEN

TOMORROW, Wednesday, Jan. 8th at 10:30 a.m.

WHERE

On the sidewalk outside of the San Diego diocesan headquarters (3888 Paducah Dr, San Diego, CA 92117)

WHO

Clergy sex abuse victim and a California attorney / psychologist who has handled hundreds of childhood sexual abuse cases

WHY

---1) In a new civil child abuse and cover up lawsuit, “Jane Doe 96” of San Diego says she was raped as a seven year old by Fr. Efren (or Ephrem) Cirilo Neri at Christ the King in San Bernardino CA who has an unusual work history.

Fr. Neri was in at least two states and at least four different dioceses: San Diego (1946-1951), on ‘sick leave’ (1959), Youngstown Ohio (1960), San Bernardino (-), and the Fresno diocese (1961-1976). He was on sick leave twice: in 1959 and then again from 1977-1982.

From 1951 until 1959, Fr. Neri worked in Rialto. The Diocese of San Diego victim assistance coordinator wrote Jane Doe on July 17, 2019 that “… our records show that Fr. Efren Neri was at Christ the King from 11/17/51-1/29/59. Following this appointment in San Bernardino he was removed from the priesthood. I don’t have more details at present regarding the reason for his faculties having been removed.” See July 17, 2019 attached letter from the San Diego diocesan ‘victims assistance coordinator.’

“This is a very odd assignment pattern and strongly suggests that a number of Catholic officials knew of or suspected Fr. Neri’s crimes,” said Dr. Joseph George, a California attorney/psychologist who represents Doe and has handled hundreds of similar cases. “And this notion that ‘we ousted him but don’t know why’ is also odd and frankly, just doesn’t pass the smell test.”

Christ the King parish was originally part of the San Diego diocese (now headed by Bishop Robert McElroy, 858 490 8200) but in 1978 became part of the newly-created San Bernardino diocese (now headed by Bishop Gerald Barnes, 909 475 5300, info@SBdiocese.org). So the suit charges Catholic officials in both places with “negligent supervision and retention of an employee” and “negligent supervision of a minor.”

Christ the King has since merged with two other churches to form Our Lady of Hope in San Bernardino (6885 Del Rosa Ave, 909 884 6375).

Fr. Neri died in 1982.

According to the official Catholic directory, Neri was assigned as follows:

Year

Assignment

1943

Unknown

1944

Unknown

1945

Unknown

1946

Our Lady of Soledad in Coachella CA (San Diego)

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, on the Torrez- Indian Reservation

1947

Our Lady of Soledad in Coachella CA (San Diego)

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, on the Torrez- Indian Reservation

1948

Our Lady of Soledad in Coachella CA (San Diego)

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, on the Torrez- Indian Reservation

1949

Our Lady of Soledad in Coachella CA (San Diego)

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, on the Torrez- Indian Reservation

1950

St. Mary's in Redlands, CA (SD)

1951

St. Mary's in Redlands, CA (SD)

1952

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1953

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1954

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1955

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1956

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1957

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1958

Christ the King in San Bernardino, CA (SD)

1959

Sick Leave

1960

Holy Spirit Retreat House in Canton, OH (Youngstown diocese)

1961

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

1962

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1963

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1964

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1965

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1966

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1967

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Monterey-Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1968

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1969

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Fresno diocese)

Mexican Union of Guadalupe and Mexican Catholic Youth Association - Executive Chaplain

1970

St. John's Cathedral in Fresno, CA (Fresno diocese)

Marian Federation of Guadalupe - Executive Chaplain

1971

St. Mary's in Cutler, CA (Fresno)

Missions - St. Isadore in Seville; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Orosi.

Marian Federation of Guadalupe - Executive Chaplain

1972

St. Mary's in Cutler, CA (Fresno)

Missions - St. Isadore in Seville; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Orosi.

Marian Federation of Guadalupe - Executive Chaplain

1973

St. Mary's in Cutler, CA (Fresno)

Missions - St. Isadore in Seville; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Orosi.

Marian Federation of Guadalupe - Executive Chaplain

1974

St. Mary's in Cutler, CA (Fresno)

Missions - St. Isadore in Seville; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Orosi.

1975

St. Lucy's in Fowler, CA (Fresno)

1976

St. Lucy's in Fowler, CA (Fresno)

1977

Absent on Leave

1978

Absent on Leave

1979

Absent on Sick Leave

1980

Absent on Sick Leave

1981

Absent on Sick Leave

1982

Absent on Sick Leave

1983

Later in his career, he joined a religious order called the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Fr. Neri is believed to be deceased.

Born in 1951, Doe is now 68. Her suit, filed in San Bernardino County court, seeks unspecified damages.

2) In Oct. 2018, San Bernardino church officials released a list of ‘credibly accused’ abusive clerics. In 2007, under court pressure, San Diego did the same. Neither list, SNAP charges, is complete.

https://www.safeinourdiocese.org/clergy-files/

https://www.sbdiocese.org/documents/latestnews/Priest-List.pdf

For the safety of kids, SNAP wants both bishops to expand and update their lists to include abusive nuns, seminarians, brothers, monks, and bishops. The lists should also provide photos, work histories and last known addresses of each offender.

SNAP also wants both bishops to disclose credibly accused child molesting clerics immediately, and not continue hiding them for months or years, only releasing them in groups “when it’s most convenient for church officials.”

These lists can be a source of healing for survivors, to know that they are not the only victim. Seeing their abusers name exposed can give victims the courage to break their silence, to come forward and begin to heal.

Parents who have lost a child to suicide, or to substance abuse, may find on these lists an answer to the nagging question of "Why?"

Naming the names also serves to protect today's boys and girls, SNAP says. These offenders may still be living around or even working with children, without parents or employers being aware that they are a threat to young lives.

Every day that an abuser’s name is hidden, children are at risk, and the repercussions of those violations echo through an entire lifetime, SNAP says.

SNAP also urges Catholics and citizens to look to outside sources for information, especially BishopAccountability.org

3) https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/may/15/san-diego-5-other-california-dioceses-create-clerg/

These provisions exist only for the comfort and convenience of the Catholic hierarchy, SNAP argues. Bishops should not impose these ‘rigid and callous’ requirements on already-suffering abuse victims, the group says.

Contact

Dr. Joseph C. George, 916 641 7300 office, 619 909 8805 cell, jcg@psyclaw.com

Maricar A. Pascual, 916 641 7300 office, 707 342 4722 cell, maricar@psyclaw.com

David Clohessy, available by phone only, 314 566 9790 cell.