By Rick Coca
LA Daily News
December 4, 2007
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_7636611
LAPD detectives Tuesday began investigating reports that Cardinal Roger Mahony told hundreds of priests he was assaulted by a man angered over the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal, police said.
Police found no reports regarding an assault on Mahony and contacted church officials to ask them about it, said Andrew Smith, assistant commanding officer for the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Bureau.
"If it came to my attention that something happened to Cardinal Mahony, I would have called him and offered my assistance and assured that it was fully investigated ... which is exactly what we're going to do now," Smith said.
 |
| Cardinal Roger Mahony waves to those in the Guadalupe Procession as they enter East Los Angeles College Stadium for Mass Sunday, December 2, 2007. Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz |
The Daily News reported Tuesday that Mahony told several hundred priests gathered at an annual meeting in October the attack happened in July while the cardinal was taking letters to a mailbox near Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral downtown.
Mahony said a man recognized him, shouted expletives and knocked him to the ground, priests said.
It took about a month for his wounds to heal, Mahony said, which paled in comparison to the recovery time for hundreds of sexual-abuse victims.
On Monday, the Los Angeles Archdiocese paid out more than $500 million of the $660 million it agreed to pay in a settlement with hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by clergy.
Victims and victims-rights groups have been highly critical of Mahony's handling of the sexual-abuse charges leveled against clergy.
Smith said while Mahony's under no legal obligation to cooperate in an investigation, he hopes that the cardinal does.
"What I'd really like to do is find out who the guy who did it was," Smith said. "Maybe he's going around and assaulting priests all over the diocese. ... Despite whatever your personal feelings are about the Catholic Church or the abuse, you can't walk up to anybody on the street and assault them."
Smith said detectives will do a thorough job and leave no stone unturned as they try to piece together what occurred.
"Whether it's the cardinal or a homeless guy, we take it personal when someone does something to one of our folks downtown," Smith said.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.