A young California man has filed a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, St. John’s Catholic Church in San Lorenzo and Corpus Christi Church in Fremont, alleging the religious entities were negligent in allow Rev. Hector David Mendoza-Vela to abuse him.

Only referred to as John Doe, now 18, the plaintiff says he was only 14 when the sexual abuse began, according to The Mercury News.

John Doe spoke with The Mercury News, which reported Doe said he felt suicidal and that he questions his faith in God because of the horrendous abuse.

Mendoza-Vela reportedly pleaded no contest in August 2019 to five felony counts of lewd acts upon a child, who he inappropriately touched in the genitals from June 2016 to December 2017. Because the plea agreement was reached, an additional 25 counts of lewd acts upon a child were dismissed by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Mendoza-Vela is currently at San Quentin State Prison, where he is serving his sentence of four years and eight months. He must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and must keep away from John Doe for a full decade. According to state records, he will be eligible for parole in July 2021.

Accusations Against Churches Who Employed David Mendoza-Vela

John Doe said Mendoza-Vela was a guest of the family while his own living quarters at Corpus Christi were being renovated. Doe said the priest touched Doe’s genitals while Doe was asleep in his own bed; one time, Doe woke up to find Mendoza-Vela groping his younger brother.

Doe told The Mercury News that he was abused dozens of times because the abuse happened not only in Doe’s own home, but also at church and in the priest’s vehicle. Doe said his family are devout Catholics who trusted Mendoza-Vela to pick up their son from school every Wednesday and take him to the movies.

John Doe said he was so embarrassed about the sexual abuse that he never told anyone until he mentioned it to a therapist in March 2019. The therapist alerted authorities and advised Doe to inform his parents of the abuse.

Even though the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal has made headlines for years, most of the allegations are decades-old. The Catholic Church has tried to put the sordid past behind it, but new cases do continue to prove predators still lurk inside the church.

According to the Diocese of Oakland’s statement on David Mendoza-Vela, the priest is not allowed to present himself in public as a priest, but his current status within the church is unknown because Helen Osman, Communications at Diocese of Oakland, told The Mercury News on May 26, “There is no update on the canonical process, since it is ongoing.”

The Catholic Church’s canonical process may result in different penalties for different crimes. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), “For the sexual abuse of minors it provides for a just penalty that may include dismissal from the clerical state.”

The Diocese of Oakland indicates allegations of clerical sexual misconduct will be responded to within 24 hours, and if the incident has not been reported to local authorities, the Diocese says it will help the victim make such a report.

“The first concern of the Diocese is to offer immediate and appropriate care to victims and their families,” says the Diocese of Oakland’s website regarding procedures for reporting sexual misconduct.

The Diocese says any priest who faces allegations of sexual assault involving minors is placed on administrative leave immediately and that the Diocese of Oakland complies with obligations of civil law in regards to reporting the allegations to legal authorities and cooperating with the resulting investigation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.