VISALIA (CA)
Visalia Times-Delta
May 8, 2019
By James Ward
In the wake of recent allegations of sexual molestation by a Bakersfield-area Catholic priest, a victims’ advocacy group is demanding the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno immediately release the names of any clergy member accused of abuse over the past 50 years.
At a press conference held Tuesday in front of the Fresno Diocese in central Fresno, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) released the names of two dozen San Joaquin Valley priests they say have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct.
At least three of the accused priests — reverends John Lastiri, Miguel Flores and Eric Swearingen, the current pastor of the Catholic Church of Visalia — have connections to Tulare County.
“Accusations should be taken seriously,” said Esther Hatfield Miller, a SNAP volunteer, and survivor of clergy sexual abuse. “And it’s important that those accusations should always be made public.”
The Diocese of Fresno stretches across eight counties, including Tulare, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Inyo, Madera, Merced and Mariposa, and serves 1.2 million parishioners.
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