OKLAHOMA CITY — The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City said Tuesday that it has substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse against another priest.
The archdiocese said in a news release that allegations of abuse of a minor were substantiated against Father Marvin Leven by the archdiocese following an investigation by the Oklahoma City law firm McAfee & Taft. It said the allegations date to 1993, when Leven, now 94 and retired, was assigned to Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid.
The allegation was made by a then-15-year-old boy, who said the abuse resumed later when he was an adult at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, the archdiocese said.
The archdiocese said it also substantiated a separate allegation against Leven of inappropriate behavior with a minor at the Enid church.
Archbishop Paul Coakley also revoked Leven’s authority to serve as a priest. Leven didn’t immediately reply to a message left with the archdiocese seeking comment.
Under Oklahoma law, the statute of limitations has expired for any possible charges against Leven.
Leven is the second priest the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has identified since December as having child sexual abuse allegations against them substantiated from 1960 to 2018, bringing to 13 the total since an initial report in October identified 11 clerics with substantiated allegations.
Separately, the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma also released a list in October, naming 11 other clerics in that diocese who were found to have credible child sexual abuse allegations against them dating to 1973.
Crux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn’t come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.
