Gezwartepiet: Los Angeles chancery on sale to fund abuse payments

Los Angeles, May. 16, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The Los Angeles archdiocese, which has already paid out $40 million in sex-abuse damages, faces more than 500 remaining claims. The archdiocese has fought a protracted legal battle in the abuse cases, which could eventually produce settlements amounting to over $500 million.

Cardinal Mahony announced his plan to sell the archdiocesan chancery on the same day that a separate report showed a Mexican prelate questioning why Cardinal Mahony allowed an accused priest to serve in Los Angeles.

The McClatchy Newspapers reported that in a March 26 court filing, Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Mexico City said that he had implicity warned his American colleague about Father Nicolas Aguilar, who had sought an assignment in Los Angeles after charges of sexual misconduct drove him out of Mexico. In a report on the priest, Cardinal Rivera said that "family and health reasons" had caused Aguilar's departure. That deliberately vague language was intended to provoke questions, he said.

"I anticipated that Cardinal Mahony would request a more detailed account of Father Aguilar's history and problems," the Mexican prelate testified. The Los Angeles archdiocese maintains that Cardinal Mahony never received the letter from Cardinal Rivera.

Aguilar, who is now wanted by American prosecutors on rape charges, has fled the country; his current whereabouts are unknown. Cardinals Mahony and Rivera are both named as defendants in a California lawsuit brought by plaintiffs who say that the prelates engaged in an international conspiracy to shield the fugitive priest from the law.


LA church sale to fund sex claims BBC news:

The Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles has said his archdiocese will sell its main office to raise money to settle lawsuits for sexual abuse.

Cardinal Roger Mahony also said some 50 other buildings could be sold to settle hundreds of lawsuits brought by people who had been abused by priests.
In December, the archdiocese - America's largest - paid some $40m (£20m) to settle 46 cases.
But it still faces more than 500 claims that have been in litigation for years.

'Quick settlement'

"Though it has always been the position of the archdiocese that the insurance companies must honour their responsibility to fund a major share of future settlements, the archdiocese must be prepared to fund its share," Cardinal Mahony said in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the archdiocese's main administrative office - a 12-storey building in Los Angeles - would be sold to fund the settlements.
Cardinal Mahony also said that a working group had already identified some 50 other non-essential church properties for sale.
"No parishes or parish schools will be closed to fund these settlements, nor will their essential ministries be affected by these sales," the cardinal said.
He did not specify any timetable for those settlements, but expressed hopes that the matter would be resolved in "the near future".
The archdiocese last year settled 46 civil cases, paying some $40m (£20m) of the total amount of $60m (£30m). The rest was paid by insurers.

The cases related to two periods when it had limited or no insurance against sexual abuse claims - before the 1950s and after 1987.

But the archdiocese still faces more than 500 claims, with some experts saying that it could cost the church as much as $1bn (£500m) to settle all of them.
The archdiocese says it has more than 4.3m Catholics in nearly 300 parishes.

The Roman Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of child sex abuse scandals in recent years, particularly in North America and also in Ireland.
In the US, a Boston-based scandal in 2002 led to the prosecutions of a number of priests, large payouts to dozens of victims and allegations of a cover-up by senior clergy.


SNAP Press Statement
Sex abuse victims respond to Cardinal Mahony'sannounced property sale

For immediate release:Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, national director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790 cell, 314 645 5915 home)

We strongly suspect this is more public relations than fundraising. The overwhelming majority of bishops have more than enough insurance coverage to adequately deal with child sex abuse and cover up cases. Yet as trials loom and talks progress, they almost always feign poverty and take small, symbolic steps to foster that misconception.

We believe this is motivated by the first trials that are finally scheduled to begin next month.

If Mahony wants to better manage his archdiocesan wealth, we suggest he insist that he stop his high-priced lawyers' hardball legal maneuvers and far-fetched legal theories that are designed protect the Cardinal's secrets and reputation, to wear down already wounded abuse victims and to delay justice, healing, and truth-telling for everyone involved.

Contact:Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Joelle Castiex (949 322 7434), Steve Sanchez (818 262 6540), David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, 314-645-5915 home), Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)