Accused California Priests: Miles O'Brien Riley

Father Miles O’Brien Riley was first accused of inappropriate sexual contact in the 1990s by a woman who informed the San Francisco Archdiocese that Riley had sexual contact with her in the early 1970s when she was just 16 years old. The archdiocese reviewed this accusation in 2002 and allowed Riley to retire quietly.

Riley was well-versed in writing, producing, and hosting television programs. He completed his Doctorates in Communication at U.C. Berkeley and Ethics from the Gregorian University in Rome and the Graduate Theological Union. He also received a Master’s in Marriage and Family Counseling from the University of San Francisco.

Father Riley was ordained at the North American College in Rome in 1963 and served as a priest at several parishes in the Bay Area. However, in 1970, he founded the Communication Center at the Archdiocese of San Francisco, where his primary focus became ministry through the mass media.