The following comes from a San Jose Mercury News article by Eric Kurhi:
A youth counselor at an East San Jose church is being accused in a lawsuit of sexually molesting a teenage girl.
The civil complaint, filed Wednesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court on behalf of the girl, who is now over 18, alleges that lay pastoral associate Walter Mena demonstrated inappropriate behavior toward the girl before allegedly molesting her at an Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish retreat at Joseph D. Grant County Park in August 2014.
According to the complaint, Mena served as an lay pastoral associate at the church, counseling young parishioners, and during the assault he threatened to reveal her “secrets” to her parents if she told anyone.
After telling another youth minister about Mena in May 2015, she was approached by two church employees who told her that he “was physically demonstrative with children because he loved them so much,” and asked her not to talk about it any more.
The complaint alleges that when she refused, Mena and his wife went to her home to talk to her family about what was being said, ultimately telling her parents about some of what was revealed in counseling in an attempt to discredit her.
The next day the girl and her mother met with the pastor at the church, who reported it to police.
The complaint says that she remains distraught, and has nightmares and panic attacks. It seeks more than $5 million in damages for emotional distress and suffering.
“She has gone from being an excellent student to having great difficulty performing her schoolwork,” it says, adding that she “has begun to doubt her faith,” no longer wants to attend a Catholic college and is afraid of men and relationships because of what happened.
The San Jose Diocese is named in the complaint for “failure to properly train, supervise and monitor its employees and agents. It also includes as-yet-unnamed workers and in addition to counts related to sexual assault includes negligence and defamation.
There Is a Training Program in place, and it Should have worked to prevent this…
I use the term ‘Allegation’, because at present that is what it is, not a Proven Case.
Still – My understanding has been that after the Homosex Ephebophile Abuse scandal that the New SAFE Rules – Everyone should avoid such situations where there were no third party chaparones present. Was this the case?
Third party chaparones should ALWAYS be present. It’s not about Homosex Ephebophiles or Heterosex Ephebophiles. It’s about due diligence.
Confusing report. Is Mena a Catholic priest? It says “youth counselor “, “associate pastor”, “went with his wife” — not clear. Very like MSM to imply that it’s a priest, but my guess is that it’s not. If it were, they would loudly and clearly state the name of the Catholic Church, the Catholic priest and certainly bring up the celibacy issue (which, in this case they can’t, since Mena has a wife). CCD need to dig further on this story.
Thanks for your question. Mena was a lay (and married) pastoral associate. Here is a link to a past parish bulletin.
I think you are mixing up two different stories published here.
Is he a lay “youth counselor” “Associate Pastor” (i.e. a priest) or a lay “pastoral associate?” The article isn’t very clear.
Thanks for your question – Walter Mena was serving as a lay pastoral associate, as you can see here. The post has been updated to show this.
Sounds to me like the pastor was the person who did the correct thing– CALL THE COPS. The Catholic Church has spent $$ billions in the last several years cleaning and replacing the rugs after all the ‘stuff’ swept under them for the last fifty years. Potential victims need to protect themselves.
All I will say is that the police should look into this situation on both sides thoroughly. The only thing just as bad as molesting (statutorily raping) a teen or child is falsely accusing someone of doing so. I am not sure what they mean by molesting, though — putting ones hands where they do not belong or raping.
Anne T – False Accusations Do Occur Regularly – often as an Extortion scheme.
We also know from the bitter fruits of a small percentage of homosex ephebophiles infiltrating the Priesthood that – Such Abuse Also is Real.
Regardless of what the ‘Secular Authorities’ may or may not do (Remember – Racist Toddler Rape-Porn pusher / ‘un-human rights’ Commissioner LARRY BRINK only got 6 months and Kept his big Tax Subsidized SF City Pension – because his acts were not considered “Moral Turpitude” – in Sodom by the Sea at least)…
The Church Should Also (in tandem if needed) Clean its Own House, and not allow presently anonymous anybodies with unknown agendas to do it for Us.
I am well aware of that, Michael McDermott, and it makes it hard for the real victims, but God will right all wrongs in the end. One can count on that.
I agree totally with Anne T. Mr Mena is fully entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a secular court of law. And, if the ‘victim’ has manufactured a story, she should suffer the consequences. But the institutional church certainly should not do the investigation. We’re still paying for the carpet cleaning after decades of self investigation.
BTW – Although the automatic Spoolchucker (spell check er) incorrectly posted the name of Homosex Toddler Rape Icon LARRY BRINKIN – this follow up article from CCD provides links to that and so much more that epitomizes the corrupt sewage system of politics in Sodom by the Sea that gave us Senator Mark “Kiddie Porn King” Leno and of course beloved Gov. Lt. Gravid Nuisance:
SEE
SF government again rocked by child porn scandal
https://cal-catholic.com/?p=18580
“Longtime San Francisco political consultant Enrique Pearce, an early backer of the “Run Ed Run” effort who was working as a $5,000-a-month consultant to Mayor Ed Lee’s… and many other well-known political figures in San Francisco, had photos and videos of infants and young…
Get Ready for some more ‘Spotlight’:
Cardinal admits ‘scandalous’ response to abuse allegations
https://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/02/29/cardinal-admits-scandalous-response-to-abuse-allegations.html?intcmp=hplnws
ROME – One of Pope Francis’ top advisers… Australian Cardinal George Pell, who testified via videolink from Rome to the Royal Commission in Sydney from Sunday night to early Monday morning, also conceded that the Catholic Church “has made enormous mistakes” in allowing thousands of children to be raped and molested by priests.
– accused of ignoring warnings when he was an assistant priest about Christian Brother Edward Dowlan, a teacher at St. Patrick’s College in the Australian city of Ballarat. The deeply…