SANTA BARBARA (CA)
Santa Barbara Independent [Santa Barbara CA]
November 29, 2025
By Scott McCann
Fear and Spiritual Blackmail at St. Anthony’s
Many thanks to Nick Welsh for his recent article about “Sexual Predators in the Vatican and the White House.” His reporting on sexual abuse of minors by priests at St. Anthony’s Seminary in Santa Barbara and by wealthy businessmen and politicians, likely including the U.S. President, captures key factors that allow sexual abuse to go under-reported and under-prosecuted. Being in positions of authority and lacking empathy and ethics seem to be the common elements.
Hosting Planned Parenthood’s “Speaking of Sex” radio show on KCSB from the early 1990s through the early 2000s, I interviewed the parents of three boys who were molested by clergy at St. Anthony’s. Under pressure from the then adult survivors and their parents, the Franciscan Order had established an independent board to investigate and report on numerous allegations. Professional therapists, parents of some victims, and others on the board interviewed scores of men who had attended the seminary.
Thirty-four men came forward reporting that they had been molested at the seminary. Most had been junior or senior high school students studying to become priests. Between 1964 and 1987, 11 of 44 priests at the seminary were identified as having sexually abused boys at the school, some as young as seven years old. A 12th priest was grooming a boy for abuse when the investigation began.
The survivors’ testimony revealed that the abuse took a variety of forms. One priest would fondle sleeping students. Another seduced a student in a year-long relationship during which they took trips together and regularly had sex. One cleric performed “hernia examinations” during which he would grope students’ genitals.
The young men’s testimony revealed an atmosphere of fear and spiritual blackmail that enabled the abuse to continue for decades. The survivors’ worry that their parents and the authorities would not believe them kept them from reporting the abuse. Their reverence for and fear of retribution from the offending priests led many of the boys to blame themselves for the maltreatment.
The parents said their greatest frustration was “the lack of action taken by the church and the legal system once the abuse was uncovered.” Non-abusive priests who suspected and in some cases witnessed acts of abuse did nothing to stop it, and the church refused to release the names of the priests involved.
The religious order’s typical response to known abuse was to relocate the perpetrator to another church, and sometimes provide sex offender counseling. Nearly hysterical with sadness and anger during the interview, the parents asked, “Why are the consequences of sexual abuse for a priest different from those for other offenders?” The same can be asked about politicians and others in positions of power.
As a retired sexual health educator at Planned Parenthood, SBCC, and Antioch University, I urge all people to discuss sexual abuse with their family, friends, and others, to reduce the shame and stigma experienced by survivors and to focus the blame where it belongs, on the perpetrators, regardless of their status. As a board member at STESA and supporter of CALM, our local rape crisis and child abuse prevention and support nonprofits, I encourage readers to donate what they can to these vital service providers and help stop sexual abuse.