Father George J. Francis
Archdiocese of San Francisco/Diocese of Oakland
Ordained: 1937
Removed/Retired: 1988
Dead: 1998
Assignment History:
- 1938-1943: St. Patrick’s (San Jose, CA)
- 1944-1949: St. Cyril (Oakland, CA)
- 1950-1956: Church of the Epiphany (San Francisco, CA)
- 1957-1988: St. Bede (Hayward, CA)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations against Father George J Francis:
Fr. George J Francis was named in two civil lawsuits alleging that he sexually abused minors. In 1990, a lawsuit alleged that Francis raped a 7-year-old girl in 1959. In 1993, the lawsuit was settled. According to Plaintiff, during the time of the abuse Francis would tell her “that God would take someone I loved if I told anyone”.
According to media reports, in 2002, the second civil suit was filed alleging that Francis sexually abused a girl from approximately 1979 to 1982. Francis started abusing the girl from when she was 5 years old until she was 8. In 2002, after both victims went public, the Diocese of Oakland admitted that Francis was an abuser. Francis was a pastor of St. Bede Parish in Hayward, California at the time of the abuse. The Diocese of Oakland also admitted there were other child sex abuse victims of Francis and that they knew of at least nine other victims.
In 2019, Francis was included on a list of priests in the Diocese of Oakland list named as being credibly accused of child sex abuse.
Francis retired from ministry in 1988 and died 10 years later in 1998.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of San Francisco 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 Archdiocese of San Francisco now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 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.