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Friars Accused of Child Sex Abuse in East Bay

By Dan Thorn
KRON TV
June 3, 2019

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/friars-accused-of-child-sex-abuse-in-east-bay/2050788799

A Catholic order in Oakland releases its first list of clergy accused of child sex abuse. The list of 50 names includes three men who were last recorded living at a retreat in the East Bay.

Abuse by one of those men has never been reported until now.

Most of this abuse happened between the 1960s and 1980s and most of the men have died.

Survivors say the number of clergy involved was a lot more than they expected.

They're just hoping the release of these names will allow people to come forward.

Of the four friars still alive, three are living in California -- Stephen Kain, Josef Prochnow and Dennis Duffy were all most recently staying at this retreat in Danville.

Kain and Prochnow were both previously accused of sexual misconduct but Duffy's abuse hasn't been reported until now.

Dan McNevin is an area leader for survivors network of those abused by priests.

He says the list helps to validate victims, but he doesn't understand why the three friars living at the San Damiano retreat were not known about sooner.

"The list came out then magically all the men have left. So it came out after they left. So there was obviously a decision that was made to withhold the list until these guys were put someplace else. We don't know where they are now," McNevin said.

The list only says the men are now living at an elderly care facility somewhere in California.

The Franciscan order's leader Father David Gaa released a statement about this list saying:

"We are aware this may bring back painful memories to victims and their families. To all those victimized by a friar, I profoundly apologize personally and in the name of all friars. It is inconceivable to me that a friar could abuse the trust of a child, but this is exactly what happened."

 

 

 

 

 




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