CALIFORNIA
Monterey County Weekly
[Fitz-Henry documents]
The Monterey County Weekly seeks full disclosure of documents in the case of Edward Fitz-Henry, a Catholic priest accused – but never convicted – of child molestation.
Mary Duan and Sara Rubin
On Sept. 10, the Monterey County Weekly sought to lift the veil of secrecy imposed on a civil suit filed against the Diocese of Monterey; Richard Garcia, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Monterey; and Father Edward Fitz-Henry, a Catholic priest and then-pastor of the Mission San Juan Bautista Church.
Fitz-Henry, a native of Dublin, Ireland who in previous years had been pastor at Madonna del Sasso Church in Salinas and the Carmel Mission in Carmel, found himself on the receiving end of a claim filed by a pair of attorneys who specialize in suing the Catholic Church and priests accused of molestation – and who have won numerous multi-million dollar awards on behalf of their clients.
The allegations in the Fitz-Henry suit, filed in Monterey County Superior Court in 2011, were about as unseemly as they come. The alleged victim, who filed under the name John RJ Doe, claimed that over the course of many months starting in 2005, Fitz-Henry engaged in sexual conduct with him at various locations throughout Madonna del Sasso – including oral sex in the church sacristy. Doe was 21 years old when attorneys Vince Finaldi and John Manly of the Irvine-based firm Manly, Stewart & Finaldi filed the suit; the timing puts Doe firmly in his mid-teens when the alleged conduct occurred.
Fitz-Henry’s parishioners, as well as parishioners throughout the Monterey Diocese, found out he was suspended from the priesthood on Feb. 13, 2011, when it was announced during Sunday services. Salinas police investigated, but no charges were ever brought. To this date, Fitz-Henry has never been charged with or convicted of any crime.
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