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	Alleged Sex Abuse Victim Demands LA Cardinal's Resignation By Solvej Schou The Associated Press, carried in The Mercury News [Los Angeles CA] October 17, 2005 LOS ANGELES - A woman who claims she was sexually abused by a Roman Catholic priest as a child in the 1970s called for Cardinal Roger Mahony's resignation Monday, a week after the Archdiocese of Los Angeles released summaries of personnel records of dozens of accused priests. The archdiocese posted the documents, which detailed allegations of past abuse, on its Web site early last week after a state appeals court ruling cleared the way for the disclosure. Jackie Dennis, 44, said Mahony had ignored 85-year-old George Neville Rucker's 40-year history of alleged abuse against dozens of girls, allowing "him to retire in good standing" almost two decades ago. "Cardinal Mahony has patted Rucker's back, when he knows Rucker committed felonies against children," Dennis said. Dennis is one of 41 plaintiffs who have filed civil lawsuits against the archdiocese that name Rucker. Plaintiffs, the archdiocese and its insurers have been in talks for nearly three years in an attempt to settle more than 550 lawsuits against the church. Dennis, flanked by her attorney Art Goldberg, said at a news conference that the wording used in the church-released summary of Rucker's personnel file was vague and inaccurate. She challenged the use of terms such as "inappropriate touching" and "fondling," calling them "watered down." "It's shocking and sickening," said Dennis, who claims Rucker molested her almost daily and abused two of her sisters when he worked at her elementary school in the 1970s. Rucker was charged in 2002 with molesting 12 girls, including Dennis and her sisters, over a 30-year period. The charges were dismissed in 2003 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a state law that had lifted the criminal statute of limitations in past molestation cases. Rucker's attorney, Donald Steier, said he didn't have a comment on the demands. Archdiocesan attorney J. Michael Hennigan said the summaries are "fully accurate and complete" and were approved by a judge overseeing the settlement talks before they were released to the public. Both sides agreed to release file summaries months ago, but legal challenges from the priests' individual attorney prevented their disclosure until this month. "The archdiocese wishes these matters could be resolved quickly, fairly and compassionately, and we hope none of these cases go to trial," he said. Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said he considers Dennis a "brave woman" and is horrified by her story. "I think, however, that what happened in the '70s is not how the church would handle it today. I think Cardinal Mahony has been at the forefront of making the church a safe place for young people."
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