A priest with the Oakland Diocese of the Catholic church is now a fugitive after skipping an arraignment regarding allegations of sexual battery. Rev. Varghese “George” Alengadan was scheduled to appear in court on July 20 but never showed. Alameda County Judge Colin Bowen has issued a warrant for the reverend’s arrest, according to the Associated Press.

The Arraignment Hearing

At the time of his arraignment hearing, Alengadan was out of custody on bail and staying with friends. Due to the coronavirus, the judge on his case had issued a modified one-cent bail amount in Alengadan’s case, according to the San Fransisco Chronicle. However, victims advocates argue that Alengadan is dangerous and was a flight risk. McNevin noted that Alengadan is a native of Indiana, not California.

“Alengadan is a dangerous man, notwithstanding his mild public demeanor,” Dan McNevin, member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests told the SF Chronicle. “Now he is a fugitive, Bishop Barber must do a lot more to honor Alengadan’s Oakland Diocese victims.”

Bishop Micheal C. Barber for the Oakland Diocese has been a consistent supporter of Alengadan. When Alengadan was placed on leave, Barber offered him shelter, without aknowledgment of the complaints of pain and suffering from the parishioners. The bishop even received an email with allegations from the mother of an alleged victim of Alengadan in 2016 but failed to address the issue. Barber named Alengadan one of the diocese’s most outstanding clergy just a year later in 2017, according to MSN.

“I am deeply disappointed by Father Alengadan’s decision not to appear in court,” Barber told the SF Chronicle. “We are cooperating with law enforcement, in seeking justice and mercy for everyone involved in this situation.”

After Alengadan failed to appear for his arraignment hearing, a standard $20,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.

The Allegations Against Alengadan

Alengadan was charged with unlawfully touching “an intimate part” of an unnamed victim on July 24, 2019. The alleged touching was against the victim’s will and for Alengadan’s sexual gratification. This charge was only recently made public and is the charge for which the arraignment was scheduled. However, it is not the first allegation of sexual battery or harassment that Alengadan has faced.

In 2019, four employees and one volunteer for the Oakland Diocese filed sexual harassment claims against Alengadan. The diocese conducted an investigation of these allegations in the fall of 2019 and found that the priest had acted in a sexual and inappropriate manner towards the women who had made the claims. He resigned from his post but was reassigned to another similar position.

Alengadan has also faced allegations that he fondled a woman against her will before he was supposed to officiate her wedding in 2002. The alleged victim’s parents claim to have immediately filed a complaint with the diocese, trusting the church to handle the matter. They claim never to have received a response. In 2016, the mother sent an email with the allegations directly to Bishop Barber who also failed to act.

Oakland Diocese Response

Accusers claim that the Oakland Diocese first received reports of Alengadan’s alleged sexual misconduct in 2002. However, the SF Chronicle reports that the diocese originally claimed that the 2019 allegations were the first they had received. They later acknowledged the 2016 email from the mother of the bride who was allegedly harassed, but not the original 2002 allegations.

After four members of the diocese reported Alengadan in 2019, he resigned from his post. However, rather than removing him from the diocese entirely, he was simply transferred to Christ the King in Pleasant Hill. When parishioners learned of the criminal probe against the priest, they protested his placement at their church. At this point, Alengadan was moved again. As the Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley told the SF Chronicle, Alengadan held positions in which he could easily abuse church members.

“Father George held a position of trust, authority and power,” O’Malley said. “As pastor of the church and the school, there existed a power imbalance over others that compounds the impact of sexual abuse. His position made his actions all the more devastating to the victim.”

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