At just 22 years old, the man NBC Bay Area is calling John Doe might be the youngest clergy abuse survivor now suing the Catholic church in California.
While more than 4,000 people have filed lawsuits against Catholic institutions across the state since 2020, the overwhelming majority of those plaintiffs are decades older than Doe. On average, it can take survivors 40 years to come forward, according to victim advocates.
Doe is an exception. He credits his supportive family and a society increasingly willing to believe survivors for giving him the strength to come forward at such a young age. Now, he has a message he wants to share with the public.
“The house is still burning,” Doe said. “I shed a lot of light on the fact that these issues haven’t been resolved. Even if they have made reformative efforts, it’s BS.”
While Doe might just be 22, he’s unpacking more than a lifetime of experiences.
When Doe was 10 years old, Hector David Mendoza Vela became the pastor of St. John the Baptist in San Lorenzo. It’s the church where his family and many other immigrants in the area attended.
“I think everything started off innocently, considering that we share the same nationality,” Doe said. “He was almost like a beacon, you know, like a stake on the ground. Like, okay, we’re home.”
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