Posted on 05/16/2002 9:02:25 AM PDT by NYer
LOS ANGELES, May 16 — Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has apologized for transferring a Roman Catholic priest from church to church despite an alleged confession from the man that he had molested children for years. The apology is the latest development in the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the Roman Catholic Church.
EARLIER THIS week, Mahony faxed a two-page letter to 1,200 priests in the archdiocese, acknowledging that he mishandled the case of the Rev. Michael Baker.
“As your archbishop, I assume full responsibility for allowing Baker to remain in any type of ministry during the 1990s,” Mahony wrote. “I offer my sincere, personal apologies for my failure to take firm and decisive action much earlier.”
Baker, 54, is one of several former priests being investigated by police. He allegedly molested at least nine youths beginning in 1976, according to Los Angeles Times interviews with victims, relatives and lawyers. Baker told the newspaper that in December 1986 he met with Mahony and told of his sexual misconduct with children. He claims that Mahony did not ask for specifics and appeared willing to let him remain in the priesthood.
“I told Mahony I had a problem,” Baker said. “He was very solicitous and understanding. I was glad I brought it up.” Baker continued to have access to children over the next 14 years while he was assigned to nine different parishes around the Los Angeles area, the newspaper said. Baker was asked to quietly retire in late 2000. Two men who claim they were sexually abused as children by Baker from 1984 to 1999 later agreed to a $1.3 million settlement with the archdiocese. They claim Baker often had them sleep in the rectory where he molested them.
Mahony said Baker did receive treatment and counseling, but it was “decided that he could do specialized priestly ministry not related to children and youth.” Despite that recommendation, it appears that Baker continued to interact with children until he left the church.
Mahony told the Times last month that there were few solutions in dealing with Baker in 1986 because the allegations were never proven. “Our biggest problem was that ... he wasn’t found guilty of a criminal act,” Mahony said. “That’s a big problem.”
(That metaphor was WAY overdone)
Cardinal Mahony is as fake as a Hollywood set. His blind ambition to be the first American Pope is disgusting, and he is as guilty, guilty, guilty as sin.
< / rant >
Cardinal Mahoney is the Hillary Clinton of the Catholic Church. Not a word he says hasn't been vetted by a public relations firm; not a word he ways is sincere. Finally, like Hillary, he believes that constantly stating lies about his involvement in a horrific crisis will make the public forget about the truth. Cardinal Mahoney has been a very, very good friend of many homosexual molesters in the Church (a number of whom stayed at his place of residence over many years). You can be assured that whatever he is saying to the public at any time is total baloney.
Shades of Janet Reno. As I recall, she too stood up and took "full responsibility" for frying all those children at Waco. But what did taking responsibility mean, in the end? Nothing. She did nothing. She suffered no consequences. She went on doing similar things for many more years.
She should have resigned, and so should Cardinal Mahoney, who is, indeed, one of the worst prelates in the Catholic Church.
And they both treat their consituencies as if they were idiots.
In case you haven't already seen the architect's rendering of the inside of the new cathedral, I can assure you, it is as ugly as the outside. Very modern and stark design.
If you want to see some ornate Catholic church-work, stop by the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC some time. Don't miss the basement, with lots of altars, each to a different saint.
As if that weren't enough... Has the shooting of an accused homosexual priest grabbed enough of the attention of the bishops and cardinals?
It just gets down to whether she looks more like a lesbian than he does a homo...or the other way around.
It's so exquisitely offensive. Again, the welfare of children comes last...
wreckitecture.
Right on target.
My mom was in charge of the prayer community there when Baker arrived. She left a few years later due to Baker.
Anyone want to ask why?
I do,why?
I do,why?
I was never an Alter Boy and was about 17 when he first came to the church, so I was never a target.
What made my mom go nuts was that he chased all the women and was touching them in improper ways.
Once he touched my mom the wrong way and she told him "if he did that again she'd slug him".
Back when she was at St Paul of the Cross she wrote all kinds of letters to the hierarchy of Los Angeles. As far as she knew, nothing came of it. But she complained big time everywhere months after he was in that church.
I thought it was odd that a priest known for chasing and touching women would also be a homosexual pedophile, but some suggested it very much so does follow the pattern.
So I know my mom brought information to the Church that Baker was trouble MONTHS after his Ordination.
This Baker also loved the good life, vacations all the time with parish members, to eat out at nice restraunts, to be given all kinds of expensive gifts and all that.
He just didn't act like a priest when not saying Mass.
What a total bastard he turned out to be.
This priest got the backing of the parish despite his behavior. My mom was so disgusted she went to a couple of other local parishes rather than continue to deal with a sick priest and a parish that treated him like a movie star.
My mom was a volunteer as a Catholic minister in men's prisons and helped start a half-way home for those leaving prison who were Catholic ans still had problems. She also felt the calling to become a nun and joined the Carmelites where she later became the head of the local order.
She had three sessions with the Cardinal that we have pictures of her with him. He first meeting with the Cardinal was years after she left that parish and she was there for other reasons. I remember her telling me though she wrote all kinds of letters earlier, she felt it would be wrong to bring Baker up again after she spent a year complaining about him already. She assumed her objections were well noted.
Now we are at the present and our family learned for the first time that he was not only a playboy, but a homosexual pedophile. What an SOB Baker is and how poor the administration of the LA Church must be.
My beloved mother who passed away from breat cancer years ago. This priest was a source of major grief for my mom.
Married women was bad enough. A homosexual pedophile in addition to that makes it sad he wasn't run over by a truck on one of Baker's self-ivited vacations.
This little phenomenon is not recognized by many and thereby serves the enemy well because it leads to incredible confusion.The real problem is an unquenchable appetite for sex and if a homosexual needs a women to cover his urge to copulate with males to satisfy his inordinate longing for himself,so be it.
I am very interested in the priests gift for homiletics. Can you tell me what types of homilies he gave. Were they about forgiveness and hospitality and love? If not what did he generally talk about that was so riveting?Did he talk about Christ establishing the Church to carry the Truth to all men throgh the ages? Please let me know. Thanks.
I am so sorry about your mom,they say that frequently the imune system is compromised by too much stress. Surely a non-responsive high level cleric would be exceedingly stressful. Again,I am sorry.
Okay, I'll bite .... why?
And, as ludicrous as this may sound, I truly believe that they have bankrolled their souls at the altar of satan. Fame and fortune! It simply amazes me that the Clintons have gone from rags to riches, without any questioning by the media. Problems just roll off their backs like teflon. They are feted and celebrated, held high on pedestals, totally impervious to any threat. There is no doubt in my mind that she will have a successful run for the presidency in 2008. The GOP has no one to match her "star" power.
In like manner, Mahony is "protected". He goes unchallenged, using souls like stepping stones towards his own grandification.
I believe Condoleeza Rice will give her a run for her money.
I suspect Mahoney will get his comeuppance rather soon.
It has been over 20 years since I've heard that fellow speak. He was flowery and good on what ever he chose to speak about. He was an extremely professional speaker of great talent. He is 54 now and was in his very early 30s when I was there and was a good looking guy on top of all that talent.
We are to reject sin and accept the sinner. In the case of a priest, much is given and much in return is expected.
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