Chapter 11

Suppression Notice

Safe Environments
Victim Assistance
Credibly Accused List

Our Commitment to Protect

Reporting Abuse

Letter from the Bishop

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We, at the San Diego Catholic Diocese, are doing everything in our power to prevent the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by priests and other diocesan staff. At the same time, we are working to be as transparent as possible regarding past allegations of sexual abuse.

With sorrow and shame, we take responsibility for the actions of some of our priests who betrayed their sacred vows and committed abuse. Although the overwhelming number of these cases occurred in the 1960s through the 1980s, nothing is acceptable other than zero.

We deeply apologize to each victim for the harm inflicted on him or her, and we offer our help now and in the future.

Starting in 2002, the U.S. Catholic Church implemented programs that contributed to a dramatic drop in new allegations of abuse. No priest in the San Diego Diocese has been found to have sexually abused a minor since 2004, as determined by an independent review board.


Prevention and accountability are priorities at all levels of the Church. Pope Francis has taken multiple measures to address sexual abuse and to hold accountable bishops, religious superiors and other church leaders worldwide. The United States Conference of Bishops has taken significant steps to hold bishops accountable and established a national third-party reporting system to handle complaints against them.

This section details how our diocese is working 365 days a year to protect minors and vulnerable adults, how to report suspected abuse and how we respond to it, and a list of priests at our diocese who have been credibly accused.

We recognize that we have no greater responsibility than the protection of children and vulnerable adults entrusted to our care.

Letter from the Bishop

August 20, 2025

Dear Friends,

Safeguarding the youth and others who are vulnerable in our midst must be among the highest priorities in the life of the local church.

Therefore, I approve of the following programs which seek to ensure that we do whatever is necessary so that children and vulnerable adults will enjoy a safe environment as they participate in the many activities at our parishes and schools:

  • The No-Go-Tell training for children and youth, which they are required to receive every year.
  • The Safe Haven training regarding proper boundaries and healthy ministry for adults, which is to be redone every 5 years.
  • The background screening done through either LiveScan or Selection.com that all parish and school staff members as well as all volunteers who work with children are required to undergo.

In addition, everyone involved in any way at parishes and schools in the Diocese of San Diego should adhere to the guidance included in our Code of Ethical Standards and in the Electronic Communications with Minors Policy.

All of us must remain ever vigilant to protect the young and vulnerable among us and never allow the terrible history of abuse in our church to repeat itself.

May God continue to give us the strength and determination to effectively put these practices into place and bless our efforts to maintain safe environments for all.

United in Christ,


Most Reverend Michael Pham
Bishop of San Diego

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms combines the Diocese of San Diego’s coat of arms on the left side, and his on the right. On his, a red boat on a blue ocean sits on diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic communities.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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