by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright July 21, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

nnouncing a whopping $660 million dollar settlement for priest sex abuse cases, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony apologized to victims, assuring parishioners that history would not repeat itself. For years, Mahony refused to acknowledge the whereabouts of predator priests or provide personnel files to reveal when the archdiocese first knew of sexual abuse and what actions were taken to prevent more episodes. Those files should now be released under a settlement agreement announced July 15. About 500 plaintiffs are expected to receive $1.3 million each, with the balance going to attorneys. “I hope all victims will find some type of healing in the process,” said plaintiff Steven Sanchez, expected to testify in the first trial about his abuse by Rev. Clinton Hagenbach, who died in 1987. Lead plaintiffs' attorney Ray Boucher hoped for greater Church transparency.

      Promising to end sexual acting-out among priests is no easy matter when you consider the Catholic Church celibacy vow forces clergy into an unnatural state. No other Christian sect or any other religious order has the widespread problem of inappropriate sexual behavior other than the Catholic Church—the only remaining religious order requiring celibacy. When the Church's sexual abuse scandal erupted in 2002, it eventually forced out iconic Boston Cardinal Bernard Francis Law. Since then, victims came forward from parishes around the country, prompting an avalanche of lawsuits against the Diocese of Orange, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., Portland, Ore., Davenport, Iowa and San Diego, all seeking bankruptcy protection. Before the LA Archdiocese settled, the Church in other cities had paid out over $114 million, with hundreds of settlements still pending.

      Mahony plans to sell-off the LA archdiocese high-rise administrative building and scores of other properties to finance the hefty $660 million settlement. By settling, Mahony avoids the witness stand where he would be forced to answer when he first learned about priest sex abuse and what he did about it. While critics have called for Mahony to step down, the 71-year-old prelate of the nation's largest archdiocese offered only belated apologies. “Once again, I apologize to anyone who has been offended, who has been abused . . . it should not have happened and should not happen again,” said Mahony, offering no plan how to control sexual urges of priests forced into celibacy by the Church. Pope Benedict XVI, formerly German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, expressed no interest in changing the celibacy vow—a major contributor to pathological sexuality, including pedophilia.

      More than $2 billion has been paid to settle priest sex abuse cases since 1950, with more the 25% coming from Los Angeles. “We gather today because this long journey has now come to an end, and a new chapter of that journey is beginning,” Mahony told reporters Sunday, July 15, offering no plan of how he expects to prevent future incidents. Church officials don't want to deal with the celibacy question, since the Vatican has no intention of changing directions. Only the Catholic Church requires clergy to swear-off one of nature's most powerful forces. You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to figure out that depriving adult-males of healthy sexual expression cause most known sexual aberrations, including pedophilia. Mahony wants to pretend that aberrant sexuality occurs in the Catholic Church at the same frequency as other churches or the normal population.

      Pedophile experts have warned that the Church becomes a magnet for pedophiles seeking refuge in structured religious institutions. Settling 508 cases indicates that the Church has a larger problem than statistical aberration. Child sex abuse is among the worst childhood traumas from which to recover. Symptoms are often more refractory to clinical intervention than other childhood mishaps, including neglect and physical abuse. “There is no amount of money that can return my childhood,” said Carlo Perez-Caraillon, 41. “I have suffered years of psychological damage,” expressing the lasting trauma caused by child sex abuse. Church officials have an obligation to pay not only monetary damages but to change the system that generates and regenerates repeat-offenders, no matter how much rehab. So far, Mahony offers no plan to stop the pathological cycle from repeating itself.

      Paying out $660 million is no guarantee that the Church has put an end to priest sex abuse. Unless there are sweeping reforms with the celibacy vow, the Church will see more episodes, no matter how carefully monitored or well-intentioned. Cardinal Mahony must still answer why after years of denials and stonewalling, the Church finally capitulated. He didn't want to take the stand and reconcile his past statements with current admissions. “I think for those of us who have been involved in this for more than five years, it's a huge relief,” said Archdiocese attorney Michael Hennigan. “But it's a disappointment too that we didn't get this done much earlier than this,” forgetting the Church's years of denials, delays and legal evasions. Church officials decided to suck it up and cut their losses, realizing that endless litigation would eventually bankrupt the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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