Several decades too late, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles admitted at midnight last night that it let at least eight known child molesters continue serving as priests, the Times reports.
With the midnight release of a PDF addendum to the 2004 report summing up 73 years of clerical pedophilia, we're left to wonder just how far Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley's office has gone with its 3-year-old criminal investigation, which has been stymied so far by the Church's unwillingness to release personnel records on the accusees.
What's perhaps most alarming in this report are the cold, clinical blow-by-blow case histories of 26 accused priests, and how many of them were handled on Mahony's watch. The report shows priest after priest being accused of pedophilia, "treated" at some Catholic Church facility and reassigned to active ministry somewhere else ...
Just to put this into perspective: Now facing civil claims from 560 plaintiffs and accusations against 245 priests, the Archdiocese is bailing as fast as it can: In 2002 Cardinal Roger Mahony adopted a "zero-tolerance" policy on sexual misconduct (as opposed the previous "some-tolerance" policy).
The Archdiocese launched a public-awareness program called "Safeguard the Children." It has set up background screening and fingerprinting for anyone applying to work with minors and - this is touching - "arranged for eight private prayer and apology services with Cardinal Mahony for victims of clergy misconduct and their families."
In the end, Mahony is a) doing the right thing by exposing the accused and comforting the victims and b) covering his seriously exposed backside. If Cooley's investigation ever finds traction above the level of individual molestation cases and shows a pattern of the Archdiocese enabling continued pedophilia under its roof, Mahony has potentially the most to lose.
Here's a chilling paragraph from the Times article:
Seven accused priests remain in active ministry today, according to the archdiocese, with at least one abuse allegation against each of them. Church officials said accusations against the seven have not been substantiated. In all, at least 245 clergy members from the L.A. Archdiocese have been accused of molestation, according to the documents. Church officials had previously put the figure at 219.
What's particularly interesting about the site is the aggressive statement on the home page about the Archdiocese's displeasure with inaccurate reporting on the issue by newsmedia, particularly the Times:
The media in general - and the Los Angeles Times in particular - of ten get it wrong in their coverage of the Archdiocese and clergy sexual abuse legal issues. Factual errors distort meaning, lack of clarity muddles a sensitive issue and, sadly, sometimes a pre-conceived notion on the reporter's part produces incomplete and unbalanced coverage.
Periodically, we'll set the record straight by showing where reporters go wrong, make incorrect assumptions or fail to provide proper context. (We'll also point out examples of balanced and comprehensive coverage.)
Latest Media Watch: A Los Angeles Times story about an important ruling was wrong on some points and so muddled on others that readers were left wondering what exactly happened and what happens next! (The Los Angeles Daily Journal, on the other hand, got it right.)
Also a fascinating read is the Archdiocese's list of media myths.
Now you get to sort the spin from the facts. God knows the DA isn't moving very fast to do so.
Posted by: Mack_Reed on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 09:55 AM
