Supervisor Bill Campbell Says He Is Sorry He 'Reopened a Wound' for the Monsignor
By Peggy Lowe
Orange County Register [California]
October 20, 2006
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1325581.php
A Catholic priest has pulled his name from consideration for placement on a county board after he became a "distraction" because of his role in the Orange County Diocese's sexual abuse scandal.
Monsignor John Urell on Wednesday asked his sponsor, Supervisor Bill Campbell, to withdraw his reappointment to the county's human relations commission after several days of outrage from abuse victims and politicos.
Urell made the decision "after spending time praying for guidance" and felt the attention would distract from the commission's work, Campbell said.
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| Monsignor John Urell |
The move is a quick reversal by Campbell, who earlier in the week defended his choice. Campbell, who attends St. Norbert's Parish where Urell is pastor, said the priest has been hurt by this recent criticism much like he was after he spoke of the diocese's role in the priest-pedophile scandal last year.
"I am sorry I reopened a wound for him by this happening," Campbell said.
Urell did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Victims and their advocates said they were pleased that Urell stepped aside, but remained shocked that he was ever on the commission and then nominated for a second two-year term.
"What I fear is we got him off the board but the diocese is still not telling people the truth," said John Manly, a Newport Beach attorney who has represented many of the abuse victims. "Bill Campbell is an intelligent man. He's tough on crime. So how is it he appointed a man who covered for criminals and didn't see anything wrong with it?"
Urell was a high-ranking member of the diocese's administration in the 1990s, charged with covering up the abuse by at least two priests. The diocese settled with the victims last year for $100 million, the costliest such suit in the country.
The nomination reignited the debate between some church members and angry victims. Matt Cunningham, who heads up the Republican OCBlog/Red County, and who is a member of St. Norbert's, got comments from many angry readers when he defended Urell as a good priest. Cunningham also said Urell apologized publicly about the sex abuse scandal last year.
"I'd never seen a priest do that. It was very heartfelt and you could tell he was very pained about it. He was sorry," Cunningham said.
But Ryan DiMaria, who was abused by a priest while attending Santa Margarita High School, said Urell denied knowing that a local priest had abused others when he knew, in fact, that he had. That was particularly painful for him and his parents, DiMaria said. The dioceses of Orange and Los Angeles settled with the family for $5.2 million in 2001.
"I don't know what's worse: the person that sexually abuses the victim or the individual who knows about the abuse and covers it up," DiMaria said. "I tend to think the latter."
Campbell said he was surprised at the harshness of some of the critics' anger.
Joelle Casteix, who compared Urell to Charles Manson during testimony before the board, is a leader in Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. She said it's often difficult for Catholics to hear of the abuse because it threatens their faith.
"It's hard to believe he could also be responsible for allowing men to sexually abuse children," Casteix said. "It's a blind spot many people put up and they refuse to believe the truth."
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