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	Should Mahony Resign? Speak out on What Should Be the Next Step in Priest Scandal Long Beach Press-Telegram July 17, 2007 http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_6399147 No amount of money, it seems, and no number of apologies will placate the victims of the Los Angeles Archdiocese's sexual abuse scandals. The call now is for Cardinal Roger Mahony's head. But wait a minute: Mahony is neither an elected official nor a political appointee. His diocese, the biggest in the country, is not funded with taxpayer money (if you don't count the property tax breaks). So what is this outcry over whether he should resign all about? And who are we to demand it? We human beings are big on accountability. If you read your Bible, you are aware that if your ox gores my cow, you need to pay me the value of my beloved bovine. If you harm someone, you have to be punished, or pay the victim for the harm you've done. But let's understand this: Mahony was caught between the confidentiality requirements of confession and the duty to protect innocent children. Mix in a huge portion of trying to protect the reputation of the Church, and its assets, and you have a test of conscience, which, frankly, Mahony failed. No reputation is worth protecting when its leaders transfer known pedophiles from one parish to the next. Mahony should have been worldly enough to realize that pederasty is a terminal disease for which there is no cure, except the one that includes a high, impenetrable wall between the pedophile and the child. And that cure should have been administered by the U.S. system of justice. The priests Mahony tried to whitewash - if they had been private citizens - would have done some hard time in a place where pedophiles are not treated with forgiveness, grace and second, third and fourth chances. District Attorney Steve Cooley is making noises about possible criminal charges if all the pedophile priests' records aren't turned over to a judge, who will decide what material should be made public. But should Mahony resign? Each Wednesday we invite readers to give us their opinions on a topic in the news. This week's questions: Cardinal Roger Mahony was appointed by the Vatican, and can only be removed by the Vatican. Since there doesn't seem to be any urgency on the part of Vatican to remove Mahony, do you think the cardinal should resign? Should he be charged with obstruction of justice? Is the $660 million settlement to 508 victims enough? Should Mahony have turned his pedophile priests over to the police for prosecution, thus possibly violating the principle of confidentiality? Here's how to respond: By e-mail, with name and city: question@presstelegram.com Deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday. We'll publish as many responses as we can accommodate, Saturday on the Speakout page.
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