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	Reconocimiento Para El Cardenal De LA La Opinion [Los Angeles CA] April 5, 2007 http://www.laopinion.com/ciudad/?rkey=00000000000001455620 El cardenal Roger Mahony será honrado la semana próxima por su apoyo a la causa de los inmigrantes indocumentados, pero ayer un grupo que representa a las victimas de abuso del clero dijo que su falta de apoyo para los niños acosados sexualmente por sacerdotes lo hacen inmerecedor del reconocimiento. Mahony recibirá el premio Voice of the Voiceless el 14 de abril por Annunciation House, un grupo con sede en Texas que provee vivienda y ayuda a personas que están en Estados Unidos indocumentadas. Mahony ha sido abierto en su apoyo para los inmigrantes indocumentados y el premio de Annunciation House es para reconocer "el valor de esas voces que ofrecen un camino de luz que guía en momentos de oscuridad y tinieblas", expresó el grupo. La Red de Sobrevivientes de Abusados por Sacerdotes (SNAP) dijo que Mahony no es merecedor del premio por la forma en que, alegan, ha tratado a los niños que han sido abusados sexualmente por miembros del clero. "Recompensar a Mahony con un premio echa sal sobre las profundas y todavia vivas heridas de niños violados y sodomizados por sacerdotes", dijo Steven Sánchez, director de SNAP en Los Ángeles. "If Mahony truly cared about the vulnerable and the oppressed, as he claims and as this Texas group apparently believes, then he would come clean and stop shielding dangerous sexual predators from police." Mary Grant, the group's western regional director, said Mahony "is hiding behind his seemingly good words about undocumented immigrants, while ignoring his own role in harming innocent children." A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said Mahony is deserving of the award, which draws attention to the treatment of illegal immigrants. "The award stands for advocacy on behalf of the very poorest in our society, the undocumented, who because they don't have papers often cannot get basic services such as food, shelter, clothing and medical attention," said Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman. "The cardinal has for decades spoken out on behalf of these very people, and caring for these people is the ministry of the people at Annunciation House." SNAP's characterization of Mahony's treatment of abuse victims is an "absolute false statement," Tamberg said. "Cardinal Mahony has and continues to meet with any and all victims of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He has had somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 private meetings with victims in the past year. It has become a major focus of his personal ministry," Tamberg said. Mahony's support of undocumented immigrants has also drawn criticism from opponents of illegal immigration. CNS-04-04-2007 17:29
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