Church 'knew' of abuse
2005-05-18 07:49
Los Angeles - Roman Catholic officials in Orange County knew for years of allegations of sexual misconduct against priests and lay workers but did little to warn parishioners or prevent future abuse, personnel files show.
The private personnel files of the 14 priests and one lay person were released on Tuesday by court order after a judge ruled the information could help the state protect children from abuse.
The hundreds of pages suggest the diocese knew as early as 30 years ago about alleged sexual misconduct among some of its clergy.
In many cases, priests were repeatedly referred for psychological treatment and counselling before finally being barred from the priesthood. Some were not barred but were sent instead to other dioceses.
The decision to release the documents was heralded by the priests' accusers, who reached a record-breaking $100m settlement with the Orange County diocese in December after nearly two years of negotiations. As part of that agreement, the diocese agreed not to block release of files on accused priests and lay workers.
"This was a very important and historic decision," said Ray Boucher, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs in Southern California. He said he would appeal the judge's decision to leave sealed the files of five other priests and three lay teachers who contested release of the documents.
Bishop Tod Brown, who arrived at the diocese in 1998, welcomed disclosure of the files. Most of the allegations in the papers dated from the 1970s and 1980s.
The settlement "was about taking moral responsibility for sins of the past that have caused suffering and pain," Brown said in a statement. "Today's release follows through on my commitment to the victims and their loved ones."
Attorneys for the priests had argued the disclosures would violate privacy rights. Five of the accused clergy who did not contest the release of the files are dead, and the others could not immediately be located.
The 87 Orange County plaintiffs are among nearly 1 000 people statewide who filed lawsuits under a 2002 California law that extended the statute of limitations for many molestation cases.
Associated Press Writer Gillian Flaccus contributed to this report.
- AP