See BooMan’s fp story – Child Molestation is Expensive [Los Angeles diocese].

Repulsive acts and abuse in a position of power over another person. It happens daily in our community, city, country and the world. In every culture and throughout history. But to abuse children when one is in a position of Faith said to be following in the footsteps of Jesus is just loathsome. Worse is the cover-up by church hierarchy throughout many decades, perpetuating these criminal acts. Words are just inadequate.

When I left Europe in the 1950s, as an immigrant family we were supported socially by a Catholic Welfare Relief Agency which took care of a job, housing and sponsorship. The local parish with an Irish pastor was just refreshing to experience in comparison to the Dutch social climate of Calvinism and the Dutch Reformed church. The mistakes made by people in power like a patriarchal church is very similar to our politicians in Washington DC today: they have chosen an elevated position above the People they ought to Serve. Perhaps 2-3 years of community service should be enforced for all before reaching the age of 25 as a remedy. Taking care of the poor, sick, elderly and the less fortunate in our society. Not as politicians do in a PR show.

L.A. church leaders sought to hide sex abuse cases from authorities

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez announced dramatic actions in response to the priest abuse scandal, saying that Cardinal Roger Mahony would be stripped of public duties in the church and that Santa Barbara Bishop Thomas J. Curry has stepped down.

Gomez also announced the church has released a trove of confidential church files. Gomez wrote in a letter to parishioners that the files would be disturbing to read.

    “I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children.”

The records were released hours after a judge signed an order requiring the church to do so.

 In a written order, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Emilie H. Elias gave the church a Feb. 22 deadline to turn over about 30,000 pages of internal memos, psychiatric reports, Vatican correspondence and other documents.

Cardinal relieved of public duties for past failure to protect children

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Cardinal Roger M. Mahony will “no longer have any administrative or public duties” as retired archbishop of Los Angeles because of past failures to protect children from clergy sex abuse, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez announced Jan. 31.

The archbishop’s statement came the same day the archdiocese released 12,000 pages of personnel files of clergy who were the subject of a 2007 global abuse settlement. The material has been posted on the website http://clergyfiles.la-archdiocese.org, along with supporting information that includes the names of members of the hierarchy involved in the handling of abuse allegations.

In today’s news many forms of sexual abuse and gang rape can be found, ranging from India across continents to Spain and Mexico. In addition we have Islamic scholars who preach rape of young women (girls) as permitted on the battlefield in Syria and Egypt. One touching story that destroyed me I read a few days ago in The Guardian. Like I said above, abuse of power can be seen daily in our own community. Be vigilant and act.

Another distraught story – Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.