Diocese of Sacramento once again quietly removes priest for 'inappropriate conduct.' SNAP Responds
(For Immediate Release May 22, 2023)
On May 19th, the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento once again quietly announced on its website the removal of a cleric for “inappropriate conduct.” Bishop Jaime Soto said that Fr. Sijo Chirayath was found to have “violated diocesan policy regarding clergy conduct” with an adult man. The priest no longer has an assignment nor does he have faculties in the Diocese, and he was asked to return to his order, the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) in India, on Friday.
We applaud the Diocese for removing Fr. Chirayath and for posting this information on its website. We hope that the parents of students at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High School in Vallejo, where the priest worked as a chaplain, was immediately alerted when the accusations were first received on April 26th, and have now been apprised of the outcome of the investigation.
However, we notice that the priest’s name does not appear on Sacramento’s list of accused clerics. We believe that Fr. Chirayath, along with Fr. Renerio Sabuga, Jr. (Fr. Jong), Fr. Percy Singco, Deacon James Burkett, and any other cleric who sexually abused adults over the age of 25 should be added to the Diocesan list. Fr. Chirayath brings the number of accused clerics on SNAP’s List for the Diocese of Sacramento to 104, although only 65 of those names appear on the Diocesan List.
Sacramento area SNAP Leader and survivor Dorothy Small observed, “My abuser, Fr. Sabuga returned to ministry in his country. It isn’t an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with an adult but the abuse of spiritual power and authority where there isn’t equal power.” Dorothy continued, “The Vatican took a position to criminalize the abuse of adults, but the names of those 'credibly accused’ of abusing men and women over age 25 still haven’t made it to Bishop Soto’s list.”
We again recommend that the Bishop include those clerics who abuse older adults to his list of accused. It is not uncommon for those who are "inappropriate" with adults to exhibit the same behavior with children. We also firmly believe that any prelate who truly wants to help survivors heal and to protect all of his spiritual children would do nothing less. This is particularly true when these men come from another country and may be returned to ministry there, even if they are unable to work in the Sacramento Diocese.
CONTACT: Dorothy Small, SNAP Sacramento Area Leader, ([email protected], 530-908-3676 ), Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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