RU 29/2007 - LOS ANGELES

- LOS ANGELES: The archdiocese of L.A. signed on July 16th a legal settlement to pay 660 million USD to 500 victims of sexual abuse committed by its priests or religious on young people. Including previous regulation amounts as well as associated expenses like lawyer fees etc., the total amount which the faithful of the diocese of L.A. must pay for the disloyalties of their priests concerning sexual abuses on minors will finally come up to 1 billion USD. It's the biggest 'sex scandal' of a U.S. diocese, since the one of Boston whose judicial settlement was of 'only' 130 millions USD in 2002. At that time, the archbishop of L.A., cardinal Roger Mahoney, had asked to the Vatican that the cardinal of Boston, Mgr Bernard Law, be dismissed, and this one filed his resignation indeed in December 2002. Today cardinal Mahoney is himself under fire, for the same 'crimes'. Because the Court of L.A. considered that the archdiocese of L.A. hid constantly, during the 5 years of the suit, the truth to inquirers and judges, while preferring to protect its priests rather than to protect and indemnify the molested children. The Court judged that the archdiocese must open immediately the confidential files of its priests and religious, and this could inaugurate a new cascade of suits. The sum of 660 million USDS, representing 25 % of all fines imposed to the dioceses of the United States for sexual offenses of their clerks on minors, will be paid in the following way: 250 million USD by offerings of the parishioners (Sunday collections, donations etc.), 227 million USD by the insurers of the archdiocese, 60 million USD by the implicated religious orders, and 123 million USD by religious orders which opted not to join the settlement, or otherwise by the archdiocese. Up to now 114 million USD have already been paid to victims, for rapes and harrassments committed since 70 years on 86 victims. Cardinal Mahoney announced that this huge payment will require some severe measures in his diocese: 1) sale of the high rise administrative building of the diocese and other buildings in L.A., 2) sale of 50 properties of the Church (with the exception of church or school buildings, for the moment), 3) sale of invested funds of the diocese, 4) debenture bonds. The cardinal sincerely apologized to the victims, but seems to be decided to continue to hide the full truth on the sexual abuses perpetrated by his priests, some of whom are from his immediate staff. Mr Frank Kenting, former governor of Oklahoma and retired member of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' National Review Board, declared that Mgr Mahoney and other bishops acted and act like "criminal organizations" which observe a code of silence. Until now about 10 % of the priests which graduated during the last decades from the seminary St John at Camarillo (Ca) have been accused of sexual abuses on minors, and for the ordination years 1966 and 1972 this percentage even jumps up to more than 30 %. This seminary is known for admitting homosexual candidates, in opposition to the instructions from the Vatican, and it appears that those are the large majority of the accused clerics. - After this process in L.A., the next diocese on the list, in number of victims, is adjacent to L.A.: San Diego...

Let's leave it here, without going into other details that this one: some Catholic parents in the States are withdrawing their children from catechism courses - "in order not to take the risk that our children be raped by priests". The absolute horror! It's highly significant and saddening that it's pagan courts who force those bishops to reveal the truth of things, and not the Holy Father, nor their own conscience. Even though one could argue that it's easy to fabricate false witnesses, especially for facts which took place some 50, or even 70 years ago, while paying them, as the freemasons do in order to destroy the Church, one yet is obliged to admit that the court of L.A. didn't remain inactive during the 5 years of the enquiry and that it visibly succeeded to present sufficient evidences for 500 different victims. One cannot avoid to remember the prophetic word of Fr Guillaume de Tanoüarn in Paris, some ten years ago: "Within 10 years the beautiful building of the official Church will disappear, the main nave already collapsed, it's remaining only for the moment the facade of the bishops". Did Benedict XVI, when seeing such disasters now arriving, want to give us back, by his recent Motu Proprio, the solidity of the ancient sacraments, especially the one of the Holy Mass, as provision for the road face to the imminent disasters? Because what happens now to the Church in America, can happen tomorrow to the one in Europe and elsewhere. The coming times announce themselves as being difficult, and happy those who will keep the faith until the end, like Saint Paul. - (ru; cf. CWN July 17)