Special
Report Sex
abuse scandal hits Los Angeles
By ARTHUR JONES
Los Angeles
The Los Angeles archdiocese has declined to comment on a Los
Angeles Times March 4 article that claimed possibly a dozen priests accused
at some time in the past of sexual abuse have lately been dismissed.
No specifics are being supplied as Cardinal Roger Mahony
apparently implements promises made in a Feb. 21 statement that declared:
If the archdiocese determines that a priest or deacon has engaged in [sex
abuse of a minor] that person will be removed from all clerical offices and all
pastoral or educational ministry and will not be reassigned. Since he will
never return to active ministry, he will be encouraged to seek a dispensation
from the obligations of the priesthood or diaconate and return to the lay
state.
Further, Mahony said, comprehensive steps are being taken to
make certain that those being ordained are men of personal integrity [who] will
serve as trustworthy ministers.
Seen in the media as a ripple effect from the Boston
archdioceses pedophilia scandal, Los Angeles now joins Philadelphia as
another major Catholic center to hit the headlines (NCR, March 8).
Soon after former Boston priest John Geoghan was jailed in
February for sexual abuse of a child, Philadelphia released a list of priests
involved in 35 credible cases of sexual abuse in the previous 50
years.
In Los Angeles, the Times stated that six to 12 priests
have been forced to leave active ministry: Those over 62 were persuaded to
retire; those under 62 were persuaded to resign. A financially generous
severance package was provided in the latter instances, the story said.
Those priests, in face-to-face interviews with Mahony, were asked to consider
laicization. None of the alleged sexual incidents was purported to be recent,
the Times states.
Los Angeles and the neighboring Orange, Calif., diocese are in a
serious financial pinch stemming from a joint $5.2 million payout last year to
Ryan DiMaria. The huge settlement came from DiMarias allegations that he
had been abused by a priest in a Catholic high school. Meanwhile, in San
Bernardino County, which abuts Los Angeles and Orange counties, an open letter
from Bishop Gerard Barnes to his parishes March 3 reiterated diocesan policy of
not tolerating abusive priests.
According to the Los Angeles Times, it was uncertain
whether the names of those priests being dismissed from the archdiocese would
be given to the police. Mahonys spokesperson declined to elaborate.
Arthur Jones is NCR editor at large. His e-mail address
is ajones96@aol.com
National Catholic Reporter, March 15,
2002
|