April 19, 2006

Whom will church serve, priests or us?

LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Daily News

BY JENNIFER SOLIS, Guest Columnist

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from Cardinal Roger Mahony (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County, 05-1017), will His Eminence release the files on alleged pedophile priests Michael Baker and George Miller to District Attorney Steve Cooley?

The prosecutor has been trying to obtain 14 church counseling records dealing with allegations of child molestation.

Similar records are also being sought in hundreds of lawsuits filed by sexual-abuse victims, including more than 500 in California alone. The records might contain details from the priests' confessions and treatment.

Cooley stated Monday that "It's unfortunate that it took four years of litigation to reach this day of justice for victims.

Posted by kshaw at April 19, 2006 08:00 AM