Questions, as Always

Right—here’s the question. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about Roberto González Nieves, who occupies the position of Archbishop of San Juan. The archbishop has been subjected to an apostolic visit lasting over a year, which has resulted, according to the archbishop, in four charges.

1. Sheltering abusive priests
2. Conducting an investigation without authorization of Rev. Edward Santana
3. Supporting a legislative proposal that would give people living together certain rights re inheritance, hospital visitation, and medical coverage
4. Setting up an alter to the patria, which has a Puerto Rican flag but no American flag

In my post, I wondered where the press had gone off to. Why, if the highest religious leader on the island had come forward and announced that he was being investigated for shielding abusive priests, had the press done nothing more than report it? Why hadn’t anyone done some follow up, asked some questions, done a little legwork? Ever hear of investigative reporting, guys?

Then I went to New York, and read there that the archbishop had formed a coalition of a hundred religious groups called the Coalición en Defensa y Solidaridad con el Arzobispo de San Juan, or the Coalition for the Defense and Solidarity of the Archbishop of San Juan. Oh, and that he was celebrating his 14^th year as Archbishop in a very public mass, at which he invited all to come.

OK—I understand about a good offense being the best defense. And it may be, as the archbishop says, that this is all political, orchestrated by the ex-governor, who his critics charged was Opus Dei. Puerto Rico is perhaps the most political place in the world—not surprising for an island where the private sector is miniscule, and the public sector vast.

The next development? A piece in the largest newspaper, which could have been written by the archbishop’s press office. The charges are airily dismissed: the affair of the abusive priest is dismissed (Santana has left the priesthood, and the Vatican did authorize González to conduct an investigation); and if in over a year the apostolic visitor had been unable to dig up the dirt, isn’t it likely there was none to begin with?

Lastly, the writer makes the point: the archbishop is a good buddy of the new pope, Pope Francis. Clear implication—these charges are going anywhere.

OK—so did I wrong the archbishop, when I suggested that there was all a little something fishy about this business? Did I malign the press, when I suggested that they follow up an internet report that Santana had been shuffled off to the diocese of Miami? What is the real story?

I decided to look further into the priests who had been reported as abusive in Puerto Rico, according to a website called abusadoenpuertorico.com. Note—these are reported incidents only, nor is the website in any way official. So, sit down with the saltbox….

The website lists 14 reportedly abusive priests, with a bit more than 60 reports filed against them, from 2002 to 2012. As you would expect, most priests have only one or two reports filed against them—one or two have substantially more.

Of all the priests, one, Andrés Dávila Pérez, has 22 reports filed against him. Right—in the website Andrés Dávila Pérez is said to be in the archdiocese of Arecibo, a town to the west of San Juan. So where is Dávila Pérez now?

Perhaps in Mexico, if a website coming out of that nation, La senda, is to be trusted. Here’s what they have to say:

Uno de los invitados al encuentro fue el Padre Andrés Dávila Pérez, oriundo de Puerto Rico, y quien actualmente es vicario parroquial en la Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara; tiene 35 años de haber sido ordenado sacerdote, y 36 de pertenecer al Movimiento de Renovación, donde el Señor, así lo dice él mismo, lo enamoró y lo cautivó.

El presbítero puertorriqueño resaltó algo importante que, como bautizados, actualmente estamos viviendo: «El pueblo de Dios, los bautizados, estamos en crisis espiritual, de valores, nos falta identidad como pueblo de Dios». Y afirmó que es urgente contrarrestar esta crisis, es necesario que tengamos un encuentro personal con Cristo, para así tener identidad como hijos de Dios.

I include the second paragraph for its ironic content only—the real news is that “Andrés Dávila Pérez, a native of Puerto Rico, and who is now a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, has been an ordained priest for 35 years.”

I don’t know, of course, if this Andrés Dávila Pérez is our man. Significantly, the reports of abuse against Dávila Pérez are all from 2002 and 2003; the post from the website is from 2007. Equally, neither Andrés nor Dávila are particularly common names in Puerto Rico. Pérez, however, certainly is.    

Next up is the famed or infamous Edward Santana. Readers of this blog will remember reports that Santana had moved to the diocese of Miami—nothing, however, can be found on the church’s website of him. In fact, in half an hour of googling him, I can’t find a trace of him. Presumably, it was he whom El Nuevo Día reported as having left the priesthood.

Santana and Dávila Pérez between them account for over half the reports of sexual abuse. Right—so what about the other twelve guys? Let’s spend five minutes on each….

José Bermúdez—very little to be found, other than he was ordained in a ceremony led by the head of Opus Dei, Javier Echevarría. He had worked previously for the San Juan Star, an English-language newspaper on the island.

Juan Reyes Delgado—admitted guilt to lascivious acts in a trial in 2010, and was placed on the registry of sex offenders, according to one source.

Another priest, Juan Luis García, was sued in 2010 along with his bishop, INAKI MALLONA TXERTUDI, CP, the bishop of Arecibo. The suit claimed that Mallona knew of García’s abuse of an 9-year-old boy, Abraham Lebrón, but did nothing to stop it, instead choosing to move Garcia from parish to parish.

So it’s a mixed bag—with more questions than answers. Dávila Pérez certainly looks suspicious—but remember, these were reports only of sexual abuse. In his case, nothing was proved. The track goes cold with Bermúdez, Reyes Delgado, and García.

Which is to me a little suspicious. I have just looked up on Google five friends—all within the space of five minutes. Conversely, I have spent an hour investigating the five priests or ex-priests listed above, and come up empty handed.

Guys—where are you?