Archbishop Nelson Perez Continues to Ignore Deceased Victim’s Parents

Arthur and Elaine Baselice lost their beloved son, Arthur III, to an overdose in 2006. Their son was a victim of clergy sex abuse while a student at Archbishop Ryan High School. The predator priest later was sentenced to prison for stealing nearly $ 1 million dollars from Archbishop Ryan high School.

Arthur and Elaine have been highlighted in local news articles and interviewed on national news. The 2009 Philadelphia Magazine article, which details their son’s case and the anguish of the family, was one of the most in depth articles of clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that I ever read before becoming involved in the cause. When Susan Matthews and I first met in 2011 to begin our efforts for child protection in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, we both referenced the article as an inspiration for our efforts. Inspiration is an awkward word to use for another family’s devastation.

Arthur Baselice was one of the first people who we met at the Catholics4Change vigils held outside of Archdiocese’s headquarters. Art had been a one -man presence for years on the sidewalk . Alone. Holding a sign with his beloved son’s photo. Sometimes joined with other advocates or survivors but mostly left to deal with the efforts to warn other parents by himself. Just as the Archbishop ignores Arthur and Elaine, many Catholics walking by Arthur simply acted as if he wasn’t there as they headed in to hear the Gospel at mass.

In 2018, shortly after the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report detailing decades of child rape and sexual violations of children’s bodies, Arthur was threatened with removal and arrest from the sidewalk outside of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The event taking place that evening was titled’ Have Mercy on Us, O Lord: A Prayer Vigil of Reparation and Petition” An event advertised as a repentance for the sins of the Church against children. Crimes. A local news reporter documented the way Art was treated in their news report. Inside the church a performative repentance prayer vigil. Outside, a deceased victim’s father was threatened with arrest for standing silently with a photo of his beloved son.

A few weeks after that incident we joined with students from Villanova University and St Joseph’s University who organized a vigil for survivors/victims at a public space across from the Cathedral. Arthur and Elaine Baselice joined us again that day. Our event was interrupted by Fr Dennis Gill, the rector of the Cathedral, when we left the public park to process on public sidewalks. He interrupted by first stating that “he comes in peace’ and then said that there was a tour group from Oklahoma visiting the Cathedral for mass and he did not want them to to see us when they were exiting the Cathedral. Along with Art and Elaine Baselice, who lost their son to clergy abuse, there were other families present who lost loved ones, as well as survivors who had been sexually violated by clergy. Fr Gill was upset by our mere presence. An usher from the Cathedral had been sent over to “watch us” at the public park. It was an eye opening experience for the college students at the event.

In January 2025, Art Baselice contacted the Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He wanted confirmation that the sidewalk outside of the Cathedral is a public sidewalk so that he would not be threatened with removal in the future. He requested a copy of his son’s case file. Lastly, he requested a meeting with Archbishop Nelson Perez. Leslie Davila, director of OCYP, co-ordinates meetings between victims/survivors and their families with the Archbishop. After a period of time of not hearing from his caseworker from OCYP he again reached out. He sent registered letters to OCYP when his requests went unaddressed for months. He was ignored.

Catholics4Change wrote blog posts about the lack of response. I reached out to Leslie Davila and the new assistant director, Robert Blake. Unlike Leslie Davila, Robert Blake had the manners to at least reply that the situation needed to be handled by the director (Davila) when she returned from a trip. A local clergy abuse victim sent us a Facebook photo of Archbishop Perez and Leslie Davila dining al fresco in Italy with other Archdiocese employees. Leslie Davila never responded to Arthur when she returned from the trip.

I arranged a meeting with the Baselice’s and Brian McCarthy who is director of the new Trust and Hope office/campaign of the Archdiocese. Their mission is to bring people back to Jesus, to mass, to the sacraments. In trying to educate the Trust and Hope Team in all remains broken in the Archdiocese, a meeting with a victim’s family would be a front row seat to the mistreatment and despair of survivors and their families. The mistreatment that continues to this day. The Archdiocese would like us to believe that survivor/victims are “healed”, but the fallout lands in the lap of Catholics4Change. Nothing has changed in 14 years.

Art and Elaine gave a letter to Brian McCarthy for Archbishop Perez. We have reached out to Brian and have not been able to confirm that Archbishop Perez has received the letter. The Baselice’s were generous with their time and conversation with Brian McCarthy for the sake of victims/survivors and child protection. It takes an added emotional toll to retell their son’s story, especially to someone who works for the Archdiocese. In hindsight I would not have arranged the meeting.

Robert Blake, the assistant director of OCYP responded to an email a few months ago letting me know that Arthur could reach out to him directly. I responded with Arthur copied on the email. I gave him Arthur’s phone number ( which the Archdiocese already had) and told him that after months of repeated outreach from Arthur and being ignored at every turn, I would never set him up to place yet another call to OCYP. I told him that the Archdiocese could easily contact Arthur and that he would be awaiting their call. There was no call received.

Leslie Davila, the director of OCYP, has never responded to emails or a voicemail asking her to please get in contact with the Baselice’s. I called the assistant director Robert Blake this morning to let him know that I was writing another update about the Baselice’s. I also recommended he get out while he can from the OCYP office. As a fellow social worker I am continually appalled by the ethics involved when dealing with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Art and Elaine have worked endlessly to protect our children. They were protecting my children when I did not even know their names or the tragic loss of their son. They exemplify everything that the hierarchy does not. Truth, strength, decency. They do not want any parent to experience the tragedy of their child being abused. They are well aware of the child protection issues that still exist in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the smoke and mirrors that the church uses to have laity look the other way. As a father who lost a son, Art Baselice, has done more to protect our children than any “father” wearing a collar in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

I was blessed with a father who shared many traits as Arthur. Strong, honest and decent. The men that I have I have met in the last decade, who are clergy or laity who work for the Church, feel mostly foreign to me. I don’t know men like that. Spineless. It’s jarring.

Arthur will continue his efforts for victims/survivors and child protection while being ignored by Archbishop Perez. Archbishop Perez will continue with his Trust and Hope Campaign. Victims are healed; children are protected. Move along, nothing to see here. Except one father with a sign who speaks more truth than any homily from a Gospel that will be read at Mass. The father who will protect your children is found outside of the church on the sidewalk.