Cardinal in Abuse Scandals is Sorry—for Himself

                Poor Cardinal Roger Mahony. He says he has been humiliated.

The 76-year- old former archbishop of the Los Angeles diocese says he has been defamed and apparently hurt by people who are angry at him.

 Well sure they are.

They’re irate because recently disclosed files show he violated California law and shielded predator priests from disclosure and possible arrest for involvement in some 500 child abuse cases.  Besides, the $660 million the archdiocese paid as settlement for the crimes simply can’t compensate for the lewd sacrileges.

In a Valentine’s Day blog titled “Called to Humiliation,” the Cardinal writes that he is, “asking for the grace to endure the level of humiliation.”  He continues:

“In the past several days, I have experienced many examples of being humiliated….I have been confronted in various places by very unhappy people. I could understand the depth of their anger and outrage—at me, at the Church, at about injustices that swirl around us. Thanks to God’s special grace, I simply stood there, asking God to bless and forgive them.”

                The Cardinal says he understands. But does he?

                The “depth of anger,” has been brewing for years. It boiled over with the court-ordered release of files the Cardinal fought for years to conceal. The documents showed he knew California law required reporting child abuse incidents, yet he hushed up the crimes. He moved the accused priests around—sometimes out of state—to protect them.

 The Cardinal’s own words reveal the cover-up.

Although he underwent specifically limited questioning about the child abuse scandals some time ago, the prelate is slated to be quizzed again on Saturday, February 23. At this deposition there will be no limit on the range of questions about how he and his minions handled child-abuse cases. The Cardinal is expected to be grilled specifically about the actions of the Rev Nicolas Aguilar Rivera. Police are seeking the now-defrocked and fugitive priest in connection with molesting 26 youngsters in Los Angeles in 1987. The former priest is believed to be hiding in Mexico.

Following the new interrogation, the Cardinal will leave for Rome to participate in selection of a new Pope. Some insist he should not participate in the election. In fact, Catholics United, the non-partisan U.S. political group, has announced it is leading a nationwide effort to urge the Cardinal to recuse himself.

What’s more, the National Catholic Reporter’s John L. Allen writes in a February 19 blog that   based on a newsmagazine poll, it appears many Italians want Cardinal Mahony to “stay away” from the Papal election. Mr. Allen noted that in response to a poll by the large-circulation Catholic newsmagazine Famiglia Cristiana, one reader wrote:

“It seems inconceivable to me that he [Cardinal Mahony] doesn’t feel the moral duty to abstain from the conclave. His participation would cause further scandal to the little ones, to the weak, to the defenseless. He should stay at home and pray.”

In many of his recent blog posts, the Cardinal writes piously about his spiritual approach to dealing with the hostile barbs and “scapegoating.” It’s as if all the uproar is about him. Actually it isn’t all about him. The sustained, fomenting outrage is at the ordained monsters who rape kids.  The Cardinal is seen as just another co-conspirator.

But the rampant indignation is also about the humiliation contaminated clergymen have heaped upon wincing Catholics in the pews. It’s about a seeming lack of sympathy for the devastated victims of obscene, lustful priests. It’s about the fact that too often the victims have been treated like hostiles attacking the righteous church.

And when all is said and done, the poor cardinal’s humiliation can’t begin to match that of the predator priests’ victims.

                                                                                                                ----Gus Gribbin

The Cardinal's Sin? A Nasty Cover-up

We were chatting about the news while waiting for a movie to start.

“Did you hear about the recently released documents that show the Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles covered up the activities of some 124 pedophile priests?”

            “Sure,” he said.

            “Well…what do you think?”

            He shrugged. “Isn’t it what you’d expect?”

            His cynicism stopped me.  But what really made his remark unsettling was the realization that his cynicism can be justified.

            The question about the documents had to do with the court-ordered disclosure of some 12,000 incriminating files from the Los Angeles archdiocese.  Cardinal Roger Mahony and his minions had fought fiercely for five years to keep the files secret.  With reason.

 The documents clearly indicated that now-retired Cardinal Mahony deliberately broke California law. He had refused to alert police that he received credible information predatory priests in his diocese were abusing children.  Instead he shielded the accused priests, moving them from parish to parish and even suggesting that they move out of state to avoid prosecution.

            The document release was required as part of a $660 million settlement between the archdiocese and victims in 508 child abuse cases. When the documents were finally released, the public and press gained access.

At that point, Cardinal Jose Horacio Gomez, the current Archbishop, belatedly took action.  He rebuked his 76-year-old predecessor and ordered that he cease his public activities. The scolding meant little. Cardinal Mahony retains his priestly faculties and is expected to join his fellow Cardinals in Rome to elect a new pope come March 15.

             Cardinal Gomez also relieved Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry of his duties as Bishop of the Santa Barbara region, citing his role in the cover-up and protection schemes. Yet even in taking these actions the archdiocese showed its stubbornness. The court had ordered the documents submitted with no names obliterated. Yet wire services report that the archdiocese blacked out many names, continuing the cover-up.

 And revelations keep coming. On February 13, Reuters reported the archdiocese has quietly added the names of 24 formerly unlisted priests and brothers implicated in child abuse complaints.

            The gross criminal activities of the LA priests and their vicars haven’t lost power to shock even though priestly misdeeds have been reported in dioceses across the country--and even though we’ve seen the spectacle of Monsignor William Lynn of Philadelphia being jailed.

  The Monsignor is serving three to six years for child endangerment resulting from his part in concealing the crimes of priests in his diocese. Judge M. Teresa Sarmina delivered the sentence and said she meant to punish the cleric for protecting “monsters in clerical garb who molested children.” She added that the priests destroyed “the souls of children to whom you [the Monsignor] turned a hard heart.”

            Add to all this the heinous cases of child molestation and brutal abuse of orphans in Ireland and similar cases in Germany, Australia and other countries. Also add the revelation that the late Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the 9,500- member conservative sect Regnum Christi led a double life.  Rev. Degollado, reportedly a favorite of Pope Benedict, was involved in sexual misconduct and fathered a daughter, now 20 years old.

            The list of clerical abuses goes on and on. No wonder that outsiders and even some among the catholic faithful have become cynical about the Church.

            Still, real wonder is this:

Despite the long history of clerical abuse, malfeasance, corruption and outright criminal activity dating from the Middle Ages to the present, more than a billion persons cling to the faith.

And despite the scandals, Church members actually manage to achieve much good in the world.

 You might call it a miracle. 

                                                                                          ----Gus Gribbin

 

           

The GOP Far Right is Far Wrong on Immigration Reform

                Is there any issue the GOP’s far right Frightfuls can’t turn into a cauldron of contention?

                The correct answer is “No.!”

                The latest issue to fall victim to the Frightfuls’ lack of empathy, disregard for common sense, and intransigence is the discussion over reforming the nation’s immigration laws. The Far Right specifically rejects the notion that the 11,000,000 so-called “illegals” who have been living and working in the United States should be allowed to stay in their jobs, live in the nation, and earn their way to full citizenship.

                The President, and a number of legislators think those persons who entered the country illegally should remain and be offered a chance to become full -fledged citizens. A recent CBS News poll found that a majority of Americans (51 percent) agreed with the President. A Fox News poll found that 66 percent of Americans believe the undocumented should be allowed to apply for citizenship if they meet requirements.

                It’s common knowledge that most of the undocumented workers who have been living in the nation are hard- working and respectable. They have children who were born here and are U.S. citizens. And throughout their stay here they have suffered from the constant fear of arrest and deportation, and from the many disadvantages of non-citizenship. That is unrelenting punishment of a sort. The Frightfuls want to convert the punishment to life sentences.

                It’s only realistic—commonsensical—to acknowledge it would be impossible and horrendous for the national image to try and deport 11 million people. Otherwise what should be done? Would the Absurdists establish internment camps?  Create gulags, meaning slave labor camps? Certainly not.

                Among other things, the President would  increase border security, create a temporary guest-worker system,  require businesses to verify the citizenship status  of those they hire, reform  the visa-granting system, and increase incentives for admitting specially skilled foreigners. Importantly, he would establish a set of requirements for the undocumented to meet in order to gain citizenship.

                There are a number of solid and persuasive reasons to adopt the President’s thoughtful outline. David Brooks, The New York Times’ brilliant conservative columnist, argues, “The forlorn pundit doesn’t even have to make the humanitarian case that immigration reform would be a great victory for human dignity. The cold economic case by itself is so strong.” 

Mr. Brooks points out that illegal immigrants are not “socially disruptive.” They don’t “drain the federal budget.” And there is increasing evidence that they don’t even cause the wages of low-skill citizens to decline.

                It’s fair to say that when most people think of “illegal” immigrants they typically think of Mexicans and others from Latin countries, for in the past they have seemed to swarm across our southern border.  Americans can readily recall reports of “illegals” overwhelming U.S. hospital emergency rooms, of damaging crops, despoiling wells, and stealing poultry from border ranches. True some, maybe many, illegal border crossers created nasty mischief.

                But most did not.

                The typical illegal has been desperate to provide adequately for himself or his (or her) family. The illegal has done exactly what many U.S. citizens would do if caught in similar circumstances. Having run out of options at home and despairing of ever obtaining legal entry into their neighboring country, they risked intense suffering and death to cross relentless desert areas to a place where they might find work and survive.

                Many, if not most, of the illegals possess the fundamental qualities—the “family values”—the  GOP urges and presumably esteems. In general the border crossers have shown the kind of persistence and courage that most of us admire.

                Sure, some have created problems:  Some are criminals. Some are rowdies.  Some are unbelievably ignorant and, for instance, try to drive without licenses and without really knowing how to drive. A number have been forced to obtain fraudulent identification.

                For instance a small town Iowa police chief told Glimpse he had four guys in his lockup who were arrested for drunkenness and brawling. The chief said:

 “They all speak Mexican, which I don’t. They all have identical phony identification.  Each one is named Rodriquez. So what do you do?”

There is not much talk about the occasional Belgian student or the charming Irish bartender who has overstayed his visitor’s visa for a decade or so.  We don’t bother much about such folks.

No, the unwanted illegal whom the Frightfuls want to punish rather than help is typically brown or black, and poor, and needy, and often desperate.

There’s a lady standing at one entry to America. She stands tall with a torch in her bronze hand. On the pedestal at her feet , are words the Congressional Frightfuls should heed.  They say:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

For heaven’s sake Congress, give 11,000,000 of our neighbors a break.

                         --Gus Gribbin

                >> The David Brooks column on immigration is titled “The Easy Problem.” It appeared on the Times Op- Ed Page on Friday 2/1/13.