Claims of Abuse at San Diego Church

[Joanne98]

Source: NYT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Lawyers for nearly 150 people who claim they were sexually abused by Roman Catholic priests in the San Diego Diocese released thousands of pages of previously sealed church documents on Sunday with details of complaints against the priests that include medical records and correspondence between priests and their superiors.

A judge ruled on Friday that roughly 10,000 pages of internal records could be made public after a years-long legal battle between those who claimed abuse and the diocese. The records are from the personnel files of 48 priests who were either credibly accused or convicted of sexual abuse or named in a civil suit.

The 144 plaintiffs settled with the diocese in 2007 for nearly $200 million; the agreement provided that an independent judge would determine what personnel records could be made public.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the files showed how much the diocese knew about abusive priests, starting decades before any allegations became public, and that some of the accused priests were shuffled from parish to parish or overseas. A spokeswoman for the diocese did not immediately return a call.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/us/25priest.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

[defendandprotect]

1. Records should be released .... 48 priests? How big was this church???

RCC should also be barred from any influence over our government --

any influence over decisions re private or government health care --

any influence over anything!!

Because of their lies and their policy in protecting these sexual abusers!!

Church before Children!

[LuckyLib]

2. It looks like the diocese has at least 60 parishes. Multiple priests per parish (in some cases).

[mackerel]

3. And I thought Oliver O'Grady was bad.

[defendandprotect]

9. Agree ... it's the "diocese" .... not one church --

[olegramps]

4. Every diocese has secret files that they refuse to make public.

Remember that the files that were released are those concerning only the people who sued. Many who were abused will never come forward. It is likely that they could well out number those who sued. The Catholic Church is rotten to it very core. Pope John Paul II continued to protect the Legions of Christ founder and was his close friend even though he had been accused by numerous young men of sexual abuse. He was so notorious that when John Paul II died and Benedict was made pope he removed him from the leadership and had the entire society investigated. These people are nasty bastards at best. The archbishop of Denver, Chaput, a little runt with a Napoleon complex, heads up their seminary system that recruits young boys to become priests. Several bishops have refuse to allow them to operate in their diocese. For detailed information about this society see Wiki article on Legions of Christ.

[SkyDaddy7]

5. The Culture of Boy Rape in...

the Catholic Church & has been for probably almost 2000 years...And it will continue as governments around the world are scared to do the right thing & go after the leadership of the church that is responsible for hiding this boy rape culture they have enjoyed for centuries! SAD!

[mwb970]

6. Do Christians experience any shame over things like this?

I know I would if I were one.

[4saken]

7. Unlikely

Because they do not recognize the inherent problems within the religion that have causal relationships with these abuses. They will mostly see abusers as a few bad apples in the bunch, whose actions derive from purely human variables. Leaving them feeling clean from any direct association. While in reality these abuses require the environment that their religion creates, such as the priest's unjustified position of unquestioned authority(to those within the congregation, especially children) and their philosophy of abstinence.

How many abuses will end up taking place before these structures, created by bronze age mythology, are questioned for the good of society?

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. As someone who was raised a Catholic -

and attended Catholic school for 12 years, I have known exemplary Sisters, Brothers, Fathers who walked to talk and I found truly inspiring, but I am appalled at the behavior of the Church on this issue and believe the heirarchy is rotten to the core -- it is time to burn down the Vatican -- it is a place of true evil.