ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
April 1, 2019
A priest from the Diocese of Oakland was arrested on Friday by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office on 30 counts of child sexual abuse.
Fr. David Mendoza-Vela, a native of El Salvador, was working at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Fremont at the time of his arrest, but the allegations arise from an 18 month period beginning in 2016 when the cleric was assigned to St. John’s Catholic Church in San Lorenzo.
We are concerned because we know that while 70% of child sex offenders have between one and 9 victims, 20% have 10 to 40 victims. We also know that Hispanic communities are less likely to report rape/sexual assault, possibly due to language barriers and concerns about immigrant status.
However, the sooner victims come forward, the sooner they can begin healing.
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