Cover
story Post-Dallas: Los Angeles churches hear cardinals
apology
By ARTHUR JONES
Los Angeles
Priests in 287 archdiocesan churches on Sunday, June 23, read Los
Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahonys apology to those sexually abused by
priests and to Southern Californias Catholic laity, variously outraged or
disenchanted with the hierarchys handling of the crisis.
Mahony asked for your forgiveness for not understanding
earlier the extent of the problem, and for not taking swifter action to remove
from ministry anyone who had abused a minor in the past.
It was heard in Our Lady of Grace Parish, Encino, where
parishioners had met to discuss the crisis and had sent a letter through their
regional bishop to the June U.S. bishops meeting in Dallas.
After hearing the letter, parishioner Myrna Delany-Dettore
commented that the cardinal should have said all of this in the first
place. He didnt need to spend hundreds of thousands on a spinmeister when
he could have used the money constructively to help the poor. Mahony
recently hired a high-profile public relations firm (NCR, June 21).
All he had to do, she said, was what he now
finally has done: address the laity in a simple manner, humbly apologize and be
truly repentant of his part in the scandal, assure the laity he would take
appropriate civil action, put an end to the cover-up and deception.
The cardinal said the crisis had caused him sleepless
nights for the victims and stirred anger at the perpetrators.
Delany-Dettore said it was the hierarchy, who were thought to be holy,
supposedly sane, moral men [who] did the greater wrong. First of all to the
victims, second to the laity. I know their reasoning was to protect the church,
but it was a serious error of judgment, and that goes back centuries and rests
at the feet of the Vatican.
Mahony was reporting back to the people from the Dallas meeting.
He said that Los Angeles had a zero-tolerance policy even before the new
recommended national norms were adopted. But the cardinal has a difficult job
ahead convincing the laity hes ahead of the curve and has been there all
the time.
The toughest challenge to his credibility is the case of Fr.
Michael Stephen Baker. Baker, it is alleged, was shifted around to nine further
assignments even after he told Mahony of his sexual misconduct. On the fiscal
front, Mahony secretly settled some charges against Baker at a cost of $1.3
million; on the personnel front, Baker was not ousted from the archdiocese
until Mahony permitted him to retire in 2000.
In two other cases charging inaction, two sets of brothers have
filed RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) suits against
Mahony for concealing criminal activities regarding his handling of alleged
abusing priests Fr. Carl Sutphin and Fr. Michael Wempe.
A Los Angeles grand jury has subpoenaed documents in the Baker and
Wempe cases.
Whatever the outcome of those inquiries, Delany-Dettore said,
Despite these depressing thoughts, I am very hopeful for the future of
our church. People for the most part are rock solid in their faith -- you see
it in their active participation. Im even hopeful the hierarchy will
eventually enter the 21st century. I think the Holy Spirit is very busy right
now imparting a few hard-earned lessons and cleaning house. And we need now to
encourage and support our good hardworking priests so dedicated to God and the
people.
Arthur Jones is NCR editor at large. His e-mail address
is ajones96@aol.com
National Catholic Reporter, July 5,
2002
|