Archdiocesan statement on Jeff Anderson & Associates Press Conference

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Jeff Anderson, one of the plaintiff attorneys associated with the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s Chapter 11 proceedings, held a press conference today disparaging the Archdiocese’s Child Protection and Safe Environment Program and accusing Archbishop Cordileone of “deceptive and dangerous practices of concealing the truth.” Mr. Anderson also ridiculed the Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board (IRB) and referenced its meeting minutes, which he said “expose a continued pattern of deceit, deception, and danger within the Archdiocese” in addressing allegations of abuse.

The Archdiocese is very fortunate to work closely with a team of exemplary legal professionals of high integrity, character, and honesty. These men and women truly care about the topic of sexual abuse and abuse survivors.  This legal team is guiding the Archdiocese through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a focus on accelerating the mediation process to achieve a fair and equitable negotiated settlement for abuse survivors and provide them with some level of closure. This is what abuse survivors have asked us to do.

The facts associated with the Archdiocese’s Child Protection and Safe Environment Program are just the opposite of what were presented by Jeff Anderson in the press conference today:

The Independent Review Board

Members of the IRB are volunteers of well-educated and highly skilled professionals who care deeply about the topic of sexual abuse. Archbishop Cordileone relies heavily on their recommendations. Members include an abuse survivor, psychologist, two physicians, and a retired police officer, among others. This Board is a very important component of the Archdiocese’s comprehensive Child Protection and Safe Environment program.  The IRB is an essential step in our procedures for handling allegations of sexual abuse. A qualified investigator conducts an independent investigation into allegations and submits a report to the IRB. The IRB reviews the allegations, the investigator’s report, and all other available information, and makes recommendations to the Archbishop as to whether there is sustainable evidence to warrant the permanent removal of the accused clergy from public ministry. They are truly independent, caring, compassionate individuals who provide a sensitive and critical service to the Archdiocese and to the community. Their contributions, along with our Safe Environment Program’s educational and preventative measures as a whole, are key reasons why occurrences of abuse within the Church are very rare today.

More information on our process for protecting children can be found at www.sfarch.org/protecting-children/

Allegations against clergy

The Archdiocese treats every accusation of sexual abuse seriously, and immediate steps are taken to protect the rights of both the alleged abuse survivor and the alleged abuser. Following the filing of an accusation against a priest, the priest is taken out of active ministry while an investigation is pending.  If, on the other hand, the IRB finds that an accusation is not sustained, then, in justice, the priest is reinstated to active ministry and damage to his reputation is remediated. There are parish communications associated with this action so that parishioners remain informed.

Read more about our process for how to report suspected abuse here.

Archbishop Cordileone’s emphasis on Safe Environment

The facts about our abuse allegation process, reporting, and the leadership of Archbishop Cordileone are exemplary despite what was alleged in the press conference and reported by some media outlets. With each allegation, we carefully follow our processes and procedures, which are outlined below. We remain committed to the healing and care of survivors who have suffered because of the sins of Church ministers.

As we have indicated previously, the overwhelming majority of the alleged abuse within the Archdiocese of San Francisco occurred in the 1960s and 70s, and into the 80s, and involved priests who are deceased or no longer in ministry. A significant number of the complaints originally included unnamed individuals. During the claims discovery process over the past year, some names did become available, and this allowed us to initiate the independent review process. To safeguard against abuse, the Archdiocese has maintained and improved awareness and education for children and adults. It uses stringent processes to screen volunteers, employees, and priests. Today, while sexual abuse continues to be a widespread societal problem, occurrences of abuse within the Church are very rare, and we believe the Church has set the standard for other organizations, showing what can and should be done to protect children.

The record of Archbishop Cordileone and the actions of his predecessors in recent decades show that archdiocesan policies have been effective. Moreover, like every other diocese in the country, our Safe Environment Program is audited annually by professional independent auditors for compliance with its policies, and it has an outstanding audit record.

More information on our process can be found at www.sfarch.org/protecting-children/

“Credibly Accused” List

At the press conference, Jeff Anderson demanded that the archdiocese release a list of “credibly accused” clergy by naming anyone who has been accused of abuse whether sustained or not, and without any due process. This is unjust for those who have been falsely accused. The Archdiocese maintains a zero-tolerance policy for priests with sustained accusations, and they are never returned to ministry. For all others, the Archdiocese of San Francisco publishes a more responsible list on its website with the names of priests and deacons in good standing who have faculties to minister in the Archdiocese. Those with questions about a priest or deacon can refer to this list.

It is also important to note that high-ranking Vatican officials, and even Pope Francis himself, have spoken against publishing names of accused priests unless a final sentence of guilt has been issued in a proper judicial process. In a private response on the question of publishing lists identifying clerics accused of sexual abuse of minors issued in 2016, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts decreed that the publication of such lists (short of a determination of guilt in a court of law and subsequent permanent removal from ministry) for reasons of transparency or reparation does not rise to the level of a legitimate denial of the natural right to a good name.

Pray for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

As Archbishop Cordileone communicated previously, while the great majority of these sins of sexual abuse were committed many decades ago, it is a sign of Christian solidarity to join together on a daily basis in prayer for the survivors of abuse at the hands of Church ministers, that survivors may turn to God as the only source of their healing and peace. We also pray for the eradication of this shameful crime from our society as a whole. 

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