[See also other articles by Gustavo Arellano.]

Former Catholic Diocese of Stockton Bishop Donald Montrose died last week , and why should you care? Besides the fact he was the founding principal of Mater Dei High School, Montrose also unleashed Eleuterio Ramos upon Orange County parishes.


Ramos, of course, is the county's worst admitted priestly pedophile --he confessed to molesting "at least 25" boys." It didn't have to be this way: in 1975, Ramos was a priest at Resurrection Church in East Los Angeles when he molested a boy. Montrose was monsignor at the time and thus was privy to the abuse--but instead of booting the monster out, Los Angeles archdiocesan officials placed Ramos at St. Joseph in Placentia (Orange County still didn't have its own diocese) and told him to undergo counseling per the advice of the Orange County District attorney . And the rest, as they say, is Catholic cover-up.

E-mail: GARELLANO@OCWEEKLY.COM