Monsignor from Archdiocese of San Antonio Removed due

to Allegations of Abuse, SNAP Responds

For immediate release: May 7, 2020

A monsignor from the Archdiocese of San Antonio was removed due to multiple allegations
that he abused both children and adult parishioners. We applaud the brave survivors for
coming forward and exposing this man’s behavior and call on local church officials to pull out
the stops in spreading the information and encouraging other survivors to come forward and
make a report to police.
The Archdiocese of San Antonio did the right thing by removing Msgr. Davalos’ faculties so he
cannot exercise ministry within the SA archdiocese. However, merely “requesting that he
refrain from all ministry during an investigation into the allegations” leaves us considerable
concern about the welfare of children and vulnerable adults in our community. We believe that
the archdiocese should not attempt to investigate an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor or
vulnerable adult since it lacks the training and expertise to do so, but should allow law
enforcement to do their job and encourage these and any other survivors to report any sexual
abuse or misconduct to the local district attorney’s office or local police.
We call on church officials in San Antonio to make available to the public the current location of
this accused priest and his proximity to public spaces where children may be at risk. They
should also be fully transparent regarding the offenses of this priest, past and present, as the
more that parishioners and the community know, the better they can protect themselves and
others at risk. It is the perfect time, in fact, to educate the community about imbalanced power
relationships and the subtle coercion or psychological grooming that is involved when someone
in a position of power abuses his authority.
SNAP commends the survivors for coming forward as their bravery ensures that no children or
vulnerable adults will be hurt by Msgr. Davalos. We are here to support them along with any
other survivors of clergy abuse here in San Antonio. Any survivors can contact Patti Koo at
snappkoo@gmail.com or 956-648-7385 for support or information on local support group
virtual meetings.
CONTACT: Patti Koo, SNAP San Antonio (snappkoo@gmail.com 956-648-7385), Zach Hiner, Executive
Director (zhiner@snapnetwork.org, 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional
settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is
SNAPnetwork.org)