Man Files Lawsuit against Archdiocese of San Francisco, Alleging Abuse

By Dan Kerman
KRON TV
December 5, 2019

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/no-longer-hiding-man-abused-by-priest-suing-archdiocese-of-san-francisco/

“I’m now longer hiding anymore, that’s over,” said Genaro Licea

For the first time the 52-year-old is revealing his identity and is now suing the Archdiocese of San Francisco for knowing about his abuse at the hands of Father John Kavanaugh and doing nothing about it, even though he reported it at the time

“The nuns covered it up, when I was a child and reported it I told them what he was doing to me and they sent me back to class and made me feel like I was at fault,” Licea said.

The lawsuit alleges that for a two year period beginning at the age of 9, Kavanaugh would call him out of class and sexually abuse him in the St. Finn Bar School rectory.

To make matters worse, in 2004 Licea says he reported it again to catholic officials in San Francisco but Kavanaugh, who’s now dead, was never reported to police and went on to work at St. Patrick’s in San Francisco, Serra High School, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Redwood City

“Many shrinks believe you can’t deter sick adults from preying on kids, but what you can do is deter their colleagues and supervisors from hiding it and that’s why this lawsuit can help do,” said David Clohessy, former head of the Survivor’s Network.

Licea, is also joining the chorus of abuse survivors calling on the San Francisco Archdiocese to release a list of predator priests as 10 other California bishops already have

“I believe it’s still going on,” he said. “Why won’t they release names, why hold on to that list? Why do that, who are they protecting? Certainly not the children.”

The Archdiocese of San Francisco says as far as the lawsuit, they cant speak to it because the haven’t been served yet.

In terms of a list of predator priests, they say the Archbishop launched an independent analysis at the beginning of the year with a review of records dating back to 1950.

They say he likely won’t have anything to report until after the first of next year.