LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times
May 5, 2019
By Richard Winton
A new investigation into how the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and California’s 11 other Roman Catholic dioceses handled sex abuse cases could uncover more disturbing details of misconduct and institutional failures. But it’s an open question whether it would lead to more criminal charges.
News of the statewide investigation brought new hope for some victims of abuse, along with caution.
The California attorney general’s office this week asked church officials at each of the dioceses to preserve an array of documents related to clergy abuse allegations. Among other things, prosecutors are examining whether church officials adequately reported allegations of sexual misconduct, as required under California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act.
Former L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley, who as the county’s top prosecutor charged two dozen priests and used a grand jury to extract records from the archdiocese, said the probe may generate more information, but criminal charges are much harder to lodge against the church hierarchy.
Cooley said that because the Los Angeles Archdiocese delayed and blocked disclosure, the efforts to hold church officials accountable have been stymied.
“Conspiracy charges are based on the last overt act. The statute for conspiracy is based on the underlying crime,” Cooley said. “Here that could be obstruction of justice, and that is just a few years.”
The L.A. Archdiocese has paid a record $740 million in various settlements to victims and pledged to better protect its members. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez succeeded longtime Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who faced strong criticism for his handling of the scandal that undercut his moral authority as one of America’s most important Catholic leaders. In the wake of the settlement, the church imposed a series of reforms.
For nearly two decades, the archdiocese has been roiled by allegations that church leaders mishandled abuse cases, sometimes moving clergy suspected of wrongdoing to other parishes rather than punishing them and informing law enforcement. Individual priests have been criminally prosecuted, but investigations of church leaders ended without charges.
Attorney Anthony De Marco, who helped secure the $740 million in settlements, said it’s encouraging that the attorney general is investigating but too soon to tell what will come of it.
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