Introduction to Clergy Files Produced by Archdiocese of Los Angeles

The 2013 public release of the files of clergy who were subject of the 2007 global settlement, concludes a sad and shameful chapter in the history of our Local Church. In the 2004 Report to the People of God and elsewhere, the Archdiocese acknowledged and apologized for failing to treat victims of abuse with compassion, as well as for employing what we now know to be inadequate standards for treatment and supervision of priests who were found to have abused children and young people.

The 2004 Report to the People of God provided a framework for understanding how the Archdiocese dealt with allegations of clergy sexual abuse over several decades. It also included the names of priests publicly accused of abuse, as well as those who were found to have committed abuse. Though the additional information provided with the release of the personnel files fits within the overall framework of the 2004 Report, and are themselves frequently decades-old, many will find the specific details contained within them to be troubling and upsetting.

While the files being produced have the names of persons who experienced abuse and third parties redacted and obscured, some may recognize their stories in the letters and memos in these files. We understand that this experience may be a difficult one. Through years of outreach to persons who experienced abuse, we have learned that feelings and reactions to these stories vary according to the individual. Please be assured that the Office of Victims Assistance Ministry is available to help.

Sad and shameful as the past history of sexual abuse is, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles can point to more than a decade of modern child protection efforts that are among the most effective in the nation at preventing abuse and dealing with allegations of abuse:

• Each of our 287 parishes and schools has a Safeguard the Children Committee, and all adults who supervise children are required to undergo VIRTUS abuse prevention training, and must submit to background checks and screening.

• Catholic school students and children in religious education programs undergo age-appropriate abuse prevention instruction.

• Priests, deacons, school faculty and administrators, and other staff members in our parishes and schools are mandated reporters, and regularly receive training in how to report suspicions of child abuse or endangerment to civil authorities.

Additionally, the Archdiocese continues to reach out to victims of abuse and their families through our Office of Victims Assistance Ministry.

The Archdiocese again apologizes to all who were harmed in the past by clergy sexual abuse. We continue to pray earnestly that you and your families find emotional and spiritual healing. We also reiterate our firm commitment to remaining vigilant against any and all threats to our children and young people.

On July 15, 2007, Cardinal Mahony issued the following statement following the Global Settlement:

"After much prayer, time, and effort by all of the parties involved, I am able to announce to you today that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has reached an agreement in principle with attorneys representing clergy sexual abuse victims in the 508 civil cases that remain filed against us.

"While there is still work to be done to finalize the formal agreement, I believe that this agreement in principle represents a significant step toward final resolution of all of the sexual abuse claims filed against the Archdiocese these past few years.

"The funding for the global settlement will be shared by the Archdiocese, Insurance Companies, various Religious Orders, and other named parties. I am grateful to the several Religious Orders which have stepped forward to take financial responsibility for cases in which their priests or brothers were accused…."

Read the   Global Settlement Statement, July 15, 2007

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"The Archdiocese humbly asks forgiveness from victims, their families and friends, from the Faithful, and from society in general for the mistakes of the past. The facts and analysis of the local Church's response to these issues are put forward so that people may understand how choices were made, however flawed they all too often were." - Introduction to the Report to the People of God, 2004.

Read Full Report:   Report to the People of God: Clergy Sexual Abuse Archdiocese of Los Angeles 1930-2003.



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On February 17, 2004, the Archdiocese published its   Report to the People of God: Clergy Sexual Abuse Archdiocese of Los Angeles 1930-2003. The Report was an essential part of the Archdiocese's ongoing effort to promote healing and reconciliation for victims, their families, and the entire Church community, all of whom suffered as a result of sexual abuse by priests, deacons, members of religious orders and others serving our Archdiocese over the years. In detail, the Report explained procedures that the Archdiocese had put in place to safeguard our children by dealing forcefully with abuse. The Report also set out, without attempt to excuse mistakes that were made, the often painful history of how the Archdiocese's understanding of the problem of sexual abuse evolved over the years, from the time when it was treated primarily as a moral weakness and a sin to the adoption, in 2002, of a firm policy of zero tolerance.
Read More About the Report

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Statement from Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, 1/21/2013:
"I apologized for all of us in the Church for the years when ignorance, bad decisions and moral failings resulted in the unintended consequences of more being done to protect the Church—and even the clergy perpetrators—than was done to protect our children."
  Read Cardinal Mahony's full Statement (Adobe PDF)Not currently available

Statement by Bishop Thomas Curry, 1/22/2013:
"I wish to acknowledge and apologize for those instances when I made decisions regarding the treatment and disposition of clergy accused of sexual abuse that in retrospect appear inadequate or mistaken. Most especially, I wish to express my sympathy to all the victims of sexual abuse by clergy."
  Read Bishop Curry's full Statement (Adobe PDF)Not currently available

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The names of priests publicly accused of abuse were published in an Addendum to the Report to the People of God: Clergy Sexual Abuse Archdiocese of Los Angeles 1930-2003 on February 18, 2004. As more information became available, additional names were published in four subsequent addenda.

  Click to view the names as appended on page 28 of the report. (7pgs, dated 2/18/2004)

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Based on the results of annual independent on-site audits, the Archdiocese has been found to be in compliance with all audited Articles within the USCCB's Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and has been found effective in the implementation of modern child protection efforts.

  Read the latest Compliance Audit Report Letter, 10/19/2012 (PDF)

 
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In 2002 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) drafted a landmark document in response to the crisis of sexual abuse of children in the Church. This document, setting forth their agreed upon responsibilities in combating the problem, was entitled the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter specifically created the Office of Child and Youth Protection and assigned to it three central tasks:

• To assist each diocese in implementing "Safe Environment" programs designed to ensure
necessary safety and security for all children as they participate in church and religious
activities
• To develop an appropriate compliance audit mechanism to assist the Bishops in adhering to
the responsibilities set forth in the Charter
• To prepare a public, annual report describing the compliance of each diocese to the Charter's
provisions

In 2002, Cardinal Roger Mahony responded to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by establishing the Office of Safeguard the Children and the adoption of rigorous archdiocesan policies, including the mandatory formation of Safeguard the Children Parish Committees as a foundational measure in ensuring the safe environment of our parishes and schools throughout the Archdiocese.

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is available below for download:
  Booklet Version (PDF)   |    Full PageVersion (PDF)


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