FRESNO (CA)
KQED
May 1, 2019
By Alexandra Hall
District attorneys offices throughout the Central Valley are banding together to audit the Catholic Diocese of Fresno’s review of its own records for cases of possible sexual abuse, according to Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno.
At least seven counties, including Fresno and Kern, have agreed to review files or receive cases for prosecution in their jurisdictions.
Earlier this year the Fresno Diocese announced it would conduct an independent review of clergy files dating back to 1922 and release a list of priests accused of sexual misconduct, an effort that other Catholic dioceses around the country have made in recent months.
The diocese hired former FBI Executive Assistant Director Dr. Kathleen McChesney of Kinsale Management Consulting to go through the diocesan records.
Moreno said she aims to make her own determination about whether the review is handled properly. Prosecutors from her office will identify records that could be handed over to law enforcement and cases that can still be prosecuted under the state’s statute of limitations. Those that involve priests who are currently active in the community will be a high priority, Moreno said.
“The Catholic Church as a whole, they don’t have — at this point — credibility to carry forward this kind of an investigation on their own,” Moreno said. “I think they understand that they need help demonstrating that they’re being transparent and if they’re not being transparent, then we’re there to expose that.”
So far, district attorneys’ offices in Merced, Tulare, Inyo, and Mariposa counties have also agreed to participate. The Catholic Diocese of Fresno covers eight counties and extends to the Nevada state line.
“(Moreno) asked me if I’d be interested and I said definitely. I’m definitely interested,” said Mariposa County District Attorney Walter Wall. “The church as an entity has not been the best watchdog of itself. I think it’s important the elected officials who are accountable to the public look at those records and draw their own conclusions for the benefit of the public.”
District attorneys from Kern and Tulare counties said they would not personally review files but would assist in investigating and prosecuting cases that might surface during the course of the audit, which will be led by Moreno’s office.
Moreno, who is Catholic, said she had the idea for the audit soon after taking office in January. She accelerated plans to begin the review this summer because of allegations made recently against a long-time Bakersfield priest, Reverend Monsignor Craig Harrison.
In April, two men accused Harrison of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers in the 1980s and ‘90s.
Harrison has served as pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bakersfield for nearly two decades. He is also the chaplain for the Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
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