Fr. Mario Blanco (Porras)
Diocese of Sacramento
Ordained: 1960
Removed: 1973
Died: 2008
Assigned as follows:
- 1969-1972: Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Sacramento, CA)
- 1972-1973: Immaculate Conception (Sacramento, CA)
- 1970-1973: Part of Mexican-American apostolate and All Hallows, Holy Spirit Church, St. Peter and St. Rose (Sacramento, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father Mario Blanco Porras:
Originally born in Costa Rica, Fr. Mario Blanco Porras was ordained as a member of the Salesian religious order in 1960. According to media reports, he was removed from ministry in 1973 for non-sexual misconduct, but some reports indicate otherwise. He was ordered to return to his religious order in Costa Rica but refused to go. He lived in the Sacramento area for several years after that and joined the schismatic religious sect. He was removed and lost faculties within the diocese after 1973.
In 2002, a lawsuit was filed by 9 men that alleged that Blanco abused them when they were teenagers. According to reports, there was at least one other settlement in 1991 with similar complaints. By January of 2004, at least 17 men had come forward and accused Blanco of sexual abuse. A civil trial was set for July of 2005, but 16 cases settled out of court just prior to trial.
According to the Diocese of Sacramento’s website, 22 total victims have come forward with claims of abuse at the hands of Blanco since 2020. His name has also been included on the Archdiocese of Seattle’s list of clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse against them. According to the list, he served at a traditionalist Latin Church in Tacoma in the mid-1980s after leaving Sacramento. After the Sacramento Diocese found out, they informed the Archdiocese of Seattle of his background. He is also included on the updated Diocese of Sacramento’s list of clergy with allegations of credible abuse against them.
His status has been listed as deceased since 2008.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Sacramento in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Sacramento now have legal options due to a temporary change in the law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.