CALIFORNIA
The Worthy Adversary
September 17, 2016 Joelle Casteix
That big BOOM you heard this morning in Southern California? That was my head exploding after reading the cover story in today’s Orange County Register.
From the article:
Though the diocese’s growth was exponential, there was also a period of turmoil when the nationwide Catholic Church sex abuse scandal erupted. Bishop Tod Brown, who took the helm in September 1998, faced the brunt of the sexual abuse lawsuits. The diocese was the first to arrive at a settlement, for $100 million, on Jan. 15, 2004.
Brown apologized to 87 alleged victims and issued a Covenant of the Faithful, promising to be transparent with the media and the public. However, Brown later was criticized for not divulging that he also had faced an allegation of sexual abuse. That allegation was dismissed by church officials. Brown said the accusation was not true.
Speaking recently from his office in the Christ Cathedral’s pastoral center, the retired bishop said he was “unaware of the problem” when he took office. (emphasis mine)
I really hate it when people lie.
Unaware of the problem? Brown knew. He knew very, very well.
In fact, Tod Brown had (very poorly) dealt with sex abuse suits while the Vicar General of Monterey, CA in the 1980s. Plus, we can’t forget the fact that he was the target of an investigation. And Brown himself admitted that he had kept the allegation and the investigation secret.
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