SHORT COMMUNICATIONS
334
A Matter of
Justice
By
Roger Behra
After
almost thirty years of stalling and evasive action some form of justice is
right around the corner for many of the victims of child sexual abuse by so
many Catholic priests during the 1980’s and 1990’s in the Los Angeles
California, Archdiocese. At the center of the trail to justice, which will take
several long months is retired Cardinal Roger Mahony and the internal
disciplinary files of 14 priests that were made public on January 21, 2013. The
files that the D. A. has show that Mahoney and top aides maneuvered to shield
molester priests from everyone. The Los Angeles D. A. has a real job searching
for criminal evidence.
It’s
mind-boggling when one realizes just how many Catholic priests have been
involved in homosexual child sex abuse as well as some heterosexual child sex
abuse since the early 1980’s. What adds to the mind-boggling is so many top
aids made sure that none of the scandal ever reached the parishioners or the
public, as well as the law officials. Information given out in the print and
radio media strongly now reveals that child sexual abuse has occurred throughout
the church.
The
L. A. prosecutors are reviewing thousands of pages from internal disciplinary
files of 14 priests. Some of the documents give strong evidence that Mahoney
and a top aide worked together to protect one priest who revealed in therapy
that he raped an 11-year-old body and abuse up to 17 other boys. This is only
the tip of a very large iceberg. When it all comes out, it’s going to
horrendous, indeed.
The
Catholic Church in general is very good, wholesome, and beneficial to millions
of Catholics. The whole church cannot be condemned because some priests and
aides have brought shame and discredit to the church.
The
church has learned a most valuable lesson, and it has been the hard way. Now
the church has to be on constant guard and always in the future. It has already
started with careful seminarian choices, careful procedures in seminaries, and
the use of mostly girls as after servers during Holy Masses.
Valuable
lessons were learned so that a valuable, correct, and consistent remedy can be
maintained, but it wasn’t without considerable pain and disgrace. Cardinal
Roger Mahoney is suffering a great deal of that pain disgrace right now as he
starts his retirement. It is possible Mahoney was trying to protect the church
in general and the parishioners from the internal evil and not the molester
type priests.
All
Cardinal Mahoney has going for him is the stature of limitations and our
prayers. Yes, pray for him that his newly started retirement will not be a
rocky road with a criminal judgment against him.
R. B.
1-29-13
