Encino Priest Among 54 Abusers Identified By Archdiocese

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Thursday released the names of dozens of local priests accused of abusing children, a move likely to stir up trauma and catharsis across LA parishes. The list includes 54 priests, most of whom are dead or defrocked, included 30 who had not be publicly identified before.

Most of the abuse took place decades ago but only came to light in the last decade. Twenty-seven of the priests were identified well after hey were dead. The announcement is a move designed to increase trust and transparency. It’s the first time the archdiocese has publicly updated its list of abusers in a decade, when the archdiocese agreed to a $660 million settlement with 508 victims.

The list does not identify the parish where the priest ministered.

"To every one of you who has suffered abuse by the hand of a priest, I am truly sorry. Nothing can undo the violence done to you or restore the innocence or trust that was taken from you," Archbishop Jose Gomez said at a news conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. "I am humbled by your courage and ashamed at how the church has let you down."

According to the list, only three priests in the county have been accused of abusing children within the past decade. Two were investigated, removed from the ministry and referred to law enforcement while a third one left the country. According to the church, the archdiocese has publicly identified all living priests accused of abuse since 2008 in announcements to the communities where they served. But on Thursday, they decided to release the names of deceased priests that were accused in the last decade as well as "plausible" accusations, in an effort toward transparency. The plausible" allegations could not be investigated because the priest had died or had long ago left the archdiocese. However, authorities determined the accusation matched up with the priest's time of service and place of ministry.

Heather Banis, a psychologist who serves as a victims' assistance coordinator for the archdiocese told reporters the Archdiocese created the new category of "plausible" accusations to "get the name out there in case there are others who have been harmed and might encourage them to come forward."

The 54 names from the Los Angeles Archdiocese were added as an update to the 2004 Report to the People of God, which lists the names of priests who were either publicly or credibly accused of misconduct with minors. The new names brings the total on the list to 269 priests who have been linked with an abuse accusation from the 1930s through 2018.

The Archdiocese's updated list of names follows the release in August of a Pennsylvania report which revealed more than 1,000 victims had been alleged victims of hundreds of priests. Since the Pennsylvania report, other dioceses around the country have been prompted to release new information on accused priests.

No details about the abuse allegations were released other than the year or years of the alleged abuse. The names of the alleged victims were not released.

Of the three priests who allegedly abused minors over the past decade, only two -- Juan Cano and Jose Cuevas -- were active in the Los Angeles archdiocese at the time of the alleged abuse. Jano, a pastor at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Encino, was referred to authorities for investigation early this year. Cuevas, who served at St. Athanasius Catholic Church in Long Beach pleaded no contest to abuse in 2012.

Upon receiving the oversight board's conclusions that the accusations were substantiated, Gomez removed the priests from their ministries, and they are now the subject of proceedings to remove them from the priesthood, according to the archdiocese. Resources were also offered to the alleged victims through the Office of Victims Assistance when the allegations were reported.

The Los Angeles Police Department said in January that it is investigating Cano over alleged abuse at Grace Catholic Church in Encino. Cuevas pleaded no contest in 2013 to a felony count of lewd act upon a child in Long Beach.

In the third case, the archdiocese was informed by the Diocese of San Bernardino in 2016 of an alleged act of abuse that occurred with a minor in 2010 in San Bernardino involving Roberto Barco, an extern priest from Argentina. Barco, who was serving in Los Angeles in 2016 when the allegation arose, returned to his parish in Argentina that year, according to the archdiocese.

The new report includes details about a variety of other accused priests:

-- One living priest, Jerome Turba, has been on "inactive leave" since 1973. He is accused of abuse that allegedly occurred during the 60s and 70s when he served at various parishes, including St. Cornelius in Long Beach and Harbor General Hospital in Torrance.

-- Raymond Morales had his faculties removed "by decree" this year, and is accused of committing sexual abuse in 1968, although he is only listed as having served as a priest since 1981.

-- Robert Jesus Juarez is listed as serving a "lifetime of prayer and penance" since 2017, and was on administrative leave from 2009 through 2017. He was accused in 1992 and 2009 of abuse that allegedly occurred in 1980- 81, when he served at Epiphany Catholic Church in El Monte.

Three of the priests on the list are said to have had no assignment in the Los Angeles archdiocese.

The Archdiocese's Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board, which includes healthcare, legal and social service professionals as well as a victim-survivor and clergy, reviewed the allegations, supervised investigations and made recommendations concerning the 2018 update, the archdiocese said.

The full report can be found at protect.la-archdiocese.org.

By CRAIG CLOUGH, City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report. Mugshot of Luis Jose Cuevas, Patch Archives