LA Archbishop Relieves Retired Cardinal of Duties [Mahony, sex abuse fallout]

Yahoo News ^ | 2/1/13 | Gillian Flaccus

[marshmallow]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cardinal Roger Mahony, who retired with a tainted career after dodging criminal charges over how he handled pedophile priests, was stripped of duties by his successor as a judge ordered confidential church personnel files released.

The unprecedented move by Archbishop Jose Gomez came less than two weeks after other long-secret priest personnel records showed how Mahony worked with top aides to protect the Roman Catholic church from the engulfing scandal.

One of those aides, Monsignor Thomas Curry stepped down Thursday as auxiliary bishop in the Los Angeles archdiocese's Santa Barbara region. Gomez said Mahony, 76, would no longer have administrative or public duties in the diocese.

"I find these files to be brutal and painful reading," Gomez said in a statement, referring to 12,000 pages of files posted online by the church Thursday night just hours after a judge's order. "The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children."

The fallout was highly unusual and marks a dramatic shift from the days when members of the church hierarchy emerged largely unscathed despite the roles they played in covering up clergy sex abuse, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

"It's quite extraordinary. I don't think anything like this has happened before," Reese said. "It's showing that there are consequences now to mismanaging the sex abuse crisis."

Several of the documents released late Thursday echo recurring themes that emerged over the past decade in dioceses nationwide, where church leaders moved problem priests between parishes and didn't call the police.

[Alex Murphy]

I don’t think so. You are making judgments that are leftist media like, aren’t you?

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!

[metmom]

ping

[metmom]

"It's quite extraordinary. I don't think anything like this has happened before," Reese said. "It's showing that there are consequences now to mismanaging the sex abuse crisis."

Consequences for sex abuse is extraordinary within the Catholic church.

Consequences..... What a novel concept.

What an indictment of the Catholic church.

[metmom]

....And they forget that what took place in regards to child sex abuse took place in other places of worship and even in the schools as well.

Nobody forgets that. The issue has never been that abuse happened because everyone knows that abuse happens. Nobody can prevent someone determined to abuse from abusing. They will find a way. That is recognized.

What the problem is is what this article admits to; the mismanaging of the abuse.

The world at least, knows how to deal with homosexual rapists of children.

It's called pressing charges, prosecuting them, and sending them to jail for a VERY long time, indefinitely at the least.

It's too bad the RCC didn't have the integrity to address the issue properly until the negative publicity from the world forced them to act.

[metmom]

And they DESERVE it for , by their own admission, mismanaging the sexual abuse they KNEW was going on under their noses.

Those who covered it up were guilty of standing guard outside the door, allowing the rape to go on unhindered.

They were WRONG!!!!!

The *bashing* is well deserved. As it would be for ANYONE who covered up such reprehensible activity.

[Alex Murphy]

"It's quite extraordinary. I don't think anything like this has happened before," Reese said. "It's showing that there are consequences now to mismanaging the sex abuse crisis."

So we have concurrence that it was mismanaged. And concurrence that there were no consequences placed on the bishops, archbishops, and cardinals before now.

[metmom]

What’s going on on this thread with the RC’s reactions is part of the problem within the Catholic church.

All the hand wringing on how the RCC is being *bashed* and those criticizing the situation have an agenda. Deflection all over the place and downplaying what this thread is all about.

How blinded can someone be to strain at a gnat (alleged Catholic *bashing) and swallow a camel (downplaying the abuse and mismanagement of it)?

[CynicalBear]

But wait, that never happened in the Catholic Churches. Nobody covered up did they? /sarc

[Biggirl]

“....And they forget that what took place in regards to child sex abuse took place in other places of worship and even in the schools as well.
Nobody forgets that. The issue has never been that abuse happened because everyone knows that abuse happens. Nobody can prevent someone determined to abuse from abusing. They will find a way. That is recognized.

What the problem is is what this article admits to; the mismanaging of the abuse.

The world at least, knows how to deal with homosexual rapists of children.

It’s called pressing charges, prosecuting them, and sending them to jail for a VERY long time, indefinitely at the least.

It’s too bad the RCC didn’t have the integrity to address the issue properly until the negative publicity from the world forced them to act. “

My position that I take is that, while those priests who abused children/young people MUST BE REMOVED AND PUNISHED as well as those who have ENABLED the abuse to take place in the first place.

Also at the smae time, a CRHISTIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC, I will not tolerate attacks being made against the rest of my Christian faith community just because of the horrilbe, horrible wrongs of a few.

[Alex Murphy]

How blinded can someone be to strain at a gnat (alleged Catholic *bashing) and swallow a camel (downplaying the abuse and mismanagement of it)?

From this morning's "Catholic Caucus" thread "Nothing Equipped Me To Deal With This" – After Gomez Rebuke, Mahony Hits Back (Cath Caucus), we have Cardinal Roger Mahony whining writing that

Nothing in my own background or education equipped me to deal with this grave problem

Oh, really? There was nothing provided in your education, nothing found in your background that qualified you for second-highest postion in the Roman Catholic Church, nothing that you can think of that equipped you? Nothing at all?

[Biggirl]

“What’s going on on this thread with the RC’s reactions is part of the problem within the Catholic church.

All the hand wringing on how the RCC is being *bashed* and those criticizing the situation have an agenda. Deflection all over the place and downplaying what this thread is all about.

How blinded can someone be to strain at a gnat (alleged Catholic *bashing) and swallow a camel (downplaying the abuse and mismanagement of it)?”

Not downplaying anything at all. Just simply pointing out to the fact that child sex abuse took place not just among those WHO SHOULD NIOT had been RC priests to begin with, but also by others who WERE NEITHER ROMAN CATHOLIC or PRIESTS as well. This is an across-the-board-issue, PERIOD. Those who just focus on one group and one group alone are doing it for the reason of having an “agenda”.

I am NOW done with posting on this thread.

[metmom]

Not just the wrongs of a *few*.

If it were within the laity, it would be different. It’s among the LEADERSHIP.

They are the Catholic church. You can’t have the church without it’s members. The members make up the church.

If they’re not pure, how can the church be?

[metmom]

Maybe this chapter is missing from the Catholic Bible......

1 Corinthians 5:1-13 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

You know, having the *whole* Bible, as the Catholics like to claim they do, does no one any good if you are not going to take its teachings to heart and live them.

[metmom]

Who ever said I am not an equal opportunity critic of any group who mishandles child sex abuse cases?

Show me another group that does that and I’ll condemn them for it, too.

Matter of fact, I was shredded by the Mormon’s in just the same why as I am by Catholics, when I spoke out against that FLDS debacle that happened in Texas some years ago.

[Salvation]

Most of your references are from Catholic sources and messages seem twisted on the posted threads.

Latino Bishops: Undocumented Immigrants Are Not Criminals [USCCB / Archbishop José Gómez] Fox News
Law threatens Church’s ministry [official statement by Catholic Archbishop Jose Gomez] CA Cath Daily
USCCB backs Alabama bishops’ efforts to reverse immigration law [Archbishop Gomez statement] Cath Culture
USCCB campaign urges parishes to pray, preach on behalf of DREAM Act Cath Cultutre
Defeat of DREAM Act only a temporary setback, says Archbishop Gomez CNA
President's immigration reform speech a good sign,says US Conference Catholic Bishops migration dir CNA
New L.A. Archbishop...Discusses Immigration & Hispanics In Church The Wanderer
Immigration Integration [Catholic Bishops Advocate for Humane Treatment of Illegal Immigrants] NCReg
Catholic bishop calls for new thinking on illegal immigration Spero News
How to Train Catholic Citizens to Elect Morally-Perverted Catholic Politicians Spero News
US Catholic Latino leaders meet with Vatican officials, discuss ‘Hispanic reality’ CNA
Bishops to the Left of Senate Dems on Immigration Rightside News
Praying for immigration reform [Catholic "Immigration Mass" in Los Angeles, CA] LAT
Jose Gomez, champion of illegal immigrants [2005 post]  from another FR thread

[Alex Murphy]

Most of your references are from Catholic sources...

...which, I suppose, are demonstrating that Gomez is "making judgments that are leftist media like".

BWA HAHAHAHAHA

[Religion Moderator]

Do not bring disputes from previous threads to current ones.

[Zionist Conspirator]

It's no accident that when the mainstream media are comparing those who defend the Second Amendment to Nazis that lies about the Catholic Church being tied to Nazis show up at exactly the same time.

That's a strange comparison to make when you consider that the US Bishops and US Catholic officialdom are almost 100% opposed to RKBA--not necessarily because of Catholic theology, but because Catholicism in the United States is an urban religion, and urban populations are traditionally hostile to private gun ownership.

[Rashputin]

AHHHHHH !!!

So now you accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God?