SAN DIEGO (CA)
The Worthy Adversary
Posted by Joelle Casteix on June 8, 2012
San Diego, California: Fr. Jose Alexis Davila was arrested in January 2012 and pled guilty in April for battery and “unlawful touching of an intimate part of a victim’s body.” He is serving three years’ probation.
Parishioners tried to accost the victim’s mother at prayer group in an attempt to get her to recant her story, confronted her other family members and called the 19-year-old a liar in the media.
The diocese put Davila back into unresricted ministry in May, saying
“All legitimate and pastoral concerns have been addressed as regards his case.
Consequently, we have no reason to believe that women or children are at risk because of his return to ministry. He returned to St. Jude at the beginning of May.”
When SNAP asked that Davila (who is still on probation), be taken out of the parish and assigned to a remote and secure facility where he would have no contact with women and children, parishoners defended the priest … who PLED GUILTY. (Hello? Anyone home?)
No one at the church or the diocese has publicly said a prayer or a word of support of the victim. (but I am grateful for the whistleblower at the parish who called to tell me that Bishop Brom snuck Davila back into ministry. I mean, if Davila is so awesome, why not make a public announcement about it?)
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