Posted on 08/12/2006 9:18:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SANTA ROSA
A Roman Catholic church official apologized Saturday for waiting several days to notify authorities about sexual abuse allegations against a priest, a delay that may have allowed the priest to flee to Mexico.
Bishop Daniel Walsh of the Santa Rosa diocese said in a one-page statement to parishioners he put "caution" before "doing the right thing" in handling the allegations against priest Xavier Ochoa.
Church officials say Ochoa admitted April 28 to sexually abusing a 12-year-old altar boy, but the allegations were not reported to Child Protective Services until May 1, and Ochoa disappeared the next day.
"I made an error in judgment by waiting to report Rev. Ochoas admission," Walsh wrote in the statement, distributed at Saturday Mass throughout the diocese, which stretches from Santa Rosa to the Oregon border. "I should have acted immediately, and not delayed. For this I am deeply sorry."
Ochoa, 68, was charged June 22 with 10 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of child sex abuse involving three alleged victims. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
Walsh said the public admission could aid prosecutors in filing criminal charges against him.
Prosecutors said in July they were investigating whether church officials violated a state law requiring doctors, nurses, teachers and clergy members to immediately report child sex abuse claims.
"If I am found guilty for not taking immediate action, I will accept whatever punishment is imposed," Walsh said.
Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua told The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat on Saturday he had not seen the letter and that the investigation was still pending.
Walsh said he lamented the damage his delayed reporting caused the church and wanted to admit his error.
"With this letter," he wrote, "I am choosing to step forward and admit my mistake because not to do so would only compound my original inaction and further tarnish all of our shared efforts over the past six years, in working to eradicate sexual abuse in the Church."
Make this chap a saint. He is into the honesty mode. What a novel idea!
My bishop. The last one was even worse, I won't even write what he did. I pray the next will be more holy.
And he came in after the diocese really botched a sex abuse scandal, resulting in serious financial damage to the parish a few years ago. The law explicitly states that they must let the authorities know ASAP. A shame as I went to high school in that parish, was confirmed there, etc; lots of good people.....and now a second pedophile.
You remeber correctly, you are known by the friends you keep.
"My bishop. The last one was even worse, ..."
Both Mahoney's boys, like so many other perverts and pervert protectors.
Time to go after the head of the snake.
What is it with Santa Rosa? I lived in SR for a few years under a bishop whose name I don't recall (prior to Ziemann) who tolerated a priest at the diocesan school - all girls, at that time - who was messing around with the girls and also fiddling with the finances. Then Bp. Ziemann, who followed him, took episcopal corruption to a new low with his gay antics, not to mention the extortion and theft.
I hope Bp. Walsh is not as bad, but it certainly seems that he is cast in the mold of a true Santa Rosa bishop - alas.
Exactly. Let him wear a hair shirt and spare us his posturing.
I hope the new Archbishop gets you a good one, after all these years - no, decades. I have never seen a diocese that has had such uniformly awful bishops. I hope Neiderauer is better than his predecessors and actually looks out for the archdiocese and everyone in it.
Isn't Neiderauer also one of Mahoney's boys?
Sorry, Rev...but "...deeply sorry"... doesn't cut it any more.
Why don't you start checking out the rest of your priests and throw out all the perverts?
His mea culpa reads well, but that seems to be part of the cover-up. Ecclesiastic spin is always the most foul.
Phoenix has its former bishop who did a hit and run, refused to answer the phone or door, tried to get his car repaired, got off very leniently.
The Protestant church leaders are no better. They just get less press attention.
Well these cases have gone on way too long. Either states make it a felony crime for these peopel to not report these cases or the Feds should. Let some of these pedophile protectors serve time in Leavenworth.
Get rid of him, let him go to some monastary grow grapes and make himself useful, Make wine.
Get rid of him, let him go to some monastary grow grapes and make himself useful, Make wine.
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