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Oakland diocese officials, under tough questioning from a crowd numbering over 250 at Berkeley’s St. Joseph The Worker Church, this week clarified earlier statements that allegations of sexual misconduct against Pastor George Crespin were “credible.” 

Church officials explained that the term meant that the allegations were only possibly true, rather than likely, as many of the parishioners had assumed the term meant. 

“I apologize on behalf of the diocese if we used that word and gave the wrong impression,” said the Rev. Raymond Breton, the diocese expert on canon law, to loud applause. 

Two weeks ago Crespin, 69, abruptly retired from the parish upon learning that a former parishioner had accused him of sexual abuse 30 years prior while Crespin was a priest at Our Lady of the Rosary in Union City. Crespin has worked at St. Joseph’s since 1980, and served as pastor for the last 10 years. The diocese has not revealed the accuser’s identity. 

Diocese policy calls for a priest faced with a “credible” allegation of sexual abuse to be placed on administrative leave. Although Breton told parishioners Tuesday that, legally, “credible” meant the accusation had the potential to be true, churchgoers contested that the language had unfairly tainted the investigation. 

“It was outrageous,” said Tom Fike, an attorney and longtime St. Joseph’s parishioner. “If any judge had commented that an allegation was credible, that judge would have been recused from the case.” 

Tuesday’s forum at St. Joseph’s, conducted in both Spanish and English, was meant to both heal wounds and answer questions about the sexual misconduct allegations. 

Parishioners gave a standing ovation and stomped their feet after a clergyman delivered a prayer honoring Crespin for “having given his life to the good of the church and the dignity of the community.” 

Crespin, who in a written statement has denied the charges, is scheduled to return to Berkeley this weekend after spending the past week with family in New Mexico, said acting parish administrator Father Jayson Landeza.  

Throughout the investigation, which Breton guessed would last six months, Crespin is prohibited from dressing as a priest, conducting public mass and being alone with anyone under the age of 18. 

“It’s not a punishment,” Breton told parishioners. “It’s the only way we can protect everybody involved.” 

The Oakland Diocese, which serves Alameda and parts of Contra Costa counties, currently has 44 pending cases of sexual misconduct against clergymen. In the case of Crespin, the charge is too dated for criminal charges to be filed, although if the accusation is substantiated, the diocese could be liable for monetary damages. 

During a question and answer period, parishioners charged that the church had prejudged Crespin.  

Asked why church officials were not giving the benefit of the doubt to the accused, Breton replied, “For too long in the church the pendulum was on the side of the priest and deacon. This was done to give more credibility to the church to respond to the crisis of sexual abuse in this country.” 

When a second parishioner asked about whether the diocese was looking in to rumors that the accuser is mentally ill, Breton said that even if that were the case, it didn’t mean that the allegation was unfounded. 

“The [mental illness] could be a result of an experience when you were younger,” he said. 

Upon the completion of a preliminary investigation, Crespin will have the right to a church attorney, Breton said. Should Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron find after the investigation that the sexual misconduct probably occurred, Breton added that the bishop would order a more thorough investigation, whose findings Crespin could appeal the Vatican. 

With Crespin now officially retired, Rev. Raymond Zielezieski, the diocese vicar for priests, said the parish would soon form a 10-person transition team, headed by Landeza, to search for a new pastor. Landeza, who attended St. Joseph’s as a child and now serves as pastor at St. Columba in Oakland, will not be a candidate to replace Crespin, he told the Daily Planet after the meeting. 

Although Crespin faces diocese-imposed restrictions during the investigation, he will still be able to meet with parishioners in groups and in their homes, Breton said, responding to a boy who wanted to know if he could talk to Crespin in person. 

Landeza, when prodded by a parishioner, offered his support for holding a retirement party in Crespin’s honor while the investigation proceeded. 

After the meeting a number of parishioners interviewed all proclaimed their trust in Crespin’s innocence, but split on the performance of diocese officials in answering their questions. 

Elvira Rose, who has attended mass at St. Joseph’s for over 35 years, credited the officials for a good presentation.  

But Carolyn Scarr, a Methodist, who worked with Crespin in the interfaith peace movement, faulted the officials for not adequately explaining the investigation process. 

“What is the standard of proof? Will he be able to cross examine his accuser? Can he get a change of venue? They didn’t answer any of those questions,” she said. “This might be Catholic due process, but it doesn’t sound like real due process.”?