BishopAccountability.org
 
 

Sb 131: Why the Catholic Church in California Should Be on the Side of Justice

By Prosy Abarquez Delacruz
Asian Journal
July 6, 2013

http://asianjournal.com/lifestyle/sb-131-why-the-catholic-church-in-california-should-be-on-the-side-of-justice/

TWO weeks ago, I wrote about truth and courage as the natural limits to social harmony, and about how courage manifests in other virtues. I learned that courage is the foundational virtue. Even if you are living your life righteously each day, the moment you condone injustice, you will be deemed irrelevant. It is very much like the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles — now distrusted, after they mishandled cases of sexual abuses done by priests within their jurisdiction. Their foundational credibility continues to be questioned. I love being a Roman Catholic. I was baptized and confirmed. I received the Grace of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe). Yet, I have had an ambivalent relationship with the Catholic Church. I applauded the Vatican, when they recently chose Pope Francis (who has inspired folks to become vigorous witnesses to their faith). At the same time, I questioned the practices of the Institutional Catholic Church’s hierarchy. Two weeks ago, Pope Francis invited a person with Down syndrome to ride with him – a person with disability who’s usually shunned, was given importance by the Pope. I bet you he made that disabled person feel like a millionaire with “expensive” self-esteem, soaring with the swagger of a supermodel. I found out recently there are two kinds of self-esteem: one is expensive, the other, downtrodden. Speaking of downtrodden,victims of sexual abuse, who have not gotten justice, are lacking in self-worth. SB 131 was introduced by by Senators Jim Beall and Ricardo Lara. The bill was introduced to allow victims of abuse to claim justice, as current California Law prevents victims who are 26 years or older from seeking civil damages for abuse committed against them. Many months ago, I became a witness to an abuser/priest, who still had faculties to do fundraisers for his choice charities. I prayed before the interview to have the Holy Spirit guide and be with me. Later in our conversation, I invited him to participate in Simbang Gabi at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (IHMC). He replied that he was a persona non-grata at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I later learned that his name appeared in the database of priests, who committed sexual abuse (www.bishopaccountability.org). His defense was that he had a “mutual consenting relationship” with a 15-year-old girl, whom he was coaching on the debating team, while he was principal at her high school. In his mind, it was mutual consent. Mind you, the girl was 15 and therefore, not an adult. Criminal laws would have made this priest a rapist, if he was sued and found guilty. But, the girl did not. This girl is now 65 years old, yet, she still felt traumatized and filed her complaint. The Archdiocese in Los Angeles settled for $100,000, while the priest’s letter of apology is on the Internet, with remorse at the beginning paragraphs, and towards the last pages of his letter. His illegible handwriting belied his act as justifiable. It cannot ever be justified under any circumstances. Why? When folks abuse, they take on a persona higher than others. It is about power over their victims, the power to take away something from them: their dignities and their psyches! But more than that, the priests occupy a position of moral and public trust and are deified as God-like, at times. Imagine the harm to the victim when this “God-like” persona, who is deemed trustworthy, becomes a sexual predator. The impact of the trauma would be double! Sen. Lara (co-author of SB 131 and himself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse) said the bill is needed “to ensure that kids and the families of victims have their day in court to get the restitution and the resources they need to lead healthy and better lives. Existing law prevents victims of child sex abuse who are 26 years or older from civil damages and seeking justice for the acts committed against them.” At mass two Sundays ago, I was perturbed to hear the opposition of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to SB 131. Their flyer read: “I urge you to reject Senate Bill 131 as written as it discriminates against victims, discriminates against private employers, gives civil immunity to actual perpetrators, and contains no criminal penalties. The retroactive nature of this bill, the exclusion of all publicly-funded entities, especially public schools, and the targeting of private employers, including churches and church-run schools, is patently discriminatory and an unworthy representation of the citizens of California who have elected you in office. Please vote NO on Senate Bill 131.” The Catholic Church in Los Angeles has become reactionary, much like the Catholic Bishops Conference in the US, who opposed universal healthcare for all (aka Obamacare). See, if statute of limitations were removed, as intended by SB 131, it would allow more victims to come forward and to seek justice. That is what happened when the California Legislature made amendments to the statute of limitations, in 2003 — 1,000 new cases of sexual abuses were filed, with 50 dismissed as not meeting the requirements. These are the current summaries, from the Legislative Office of the State of California, on SB 131. Arguments in support: According to the author, “Over the last 27 years the California Legislature has come to have a better understanding of the insidious and latent nature of the injuries suffered by a child who has been sexually abused and the reasons why victims of childhood sex abuse often wait years before reporting the abuse to law enforcement or otherwise. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 340.1, a remedial statute intended to provide redress the child sex abuse victims, has been amended no less than five times since its original enactment in 1986, consistent with this evolving knowledge of the latent effects of the original abuse.” Arguments in opposition: The opposition argues that many private entities acted in reliance on SB 1779 (Burton and Escutia) which created a one-year window in which victims of child sex abuse could bring claims. The Sacramento Country Day School writes that this bill will “break faith with assurances given by the Legislature ten years ago when it enacted SB 1779 (Burton), a one-time, one year lifting of the statute of limitations for all of 2003 that allowed any victim of sexual abuse-regardless of how long ago it occurred-a second chance to file a lawsuit.” While both sides may have merits to their stance, should we not ask that the Catholic Church be on the side of our children, protecting and enabling no harm to them and to move forward by healing the past? Protecting children should be prioritized over promises between the legislature and stakeholders’ interests. During the interview, I noticed that this priest was a self-described philanthropist and also, unremorseful predator in his letter to his victim. Granted his victim is now an adult, can we now say that this priest is off the hook? Isn’t it time for the Catholic Church of Los Angeles to work for justice? To perhaps be in synchrony with Pope Francis in Vatican, and to become better angels of human nature? And perhaps, consider growing the Catholic Church as a proactive institution, anchored on wholesome moral foundations of restored public trust and transparent public accountability? I would hope that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, even if beset by financial difficulties, would do something transformational. Something that would lift it into a position of light, away from the darkness of its past, and consider a morally uplifting position that creates a higher level of trust and safety for all. “No Child Should be Harmed, Zero tolerance for Sexual Abuse – we were wrong then for coddling the offenders and we would be wrong again if we allow them escape for the harm they caused many years ago. Time to start anew!” A bit of good news: my pastor informed me that VIRTUS training is proactively taken by anyone working around the children and they are now taught how to proactively detect sexual abuse (which includes background checks) — a positive step perhaps, in this direction. But would that be enough to heal and to grow more souls inside the Catholic Church? - See more at: http://asianjournal.com/lifestyle/sb-131-why-the-catholic-church-in-california-should-be-on-the-side-of-justice/#sthash.wTW9GeMi.dpufTWO weeks ago, I wrote about truth and courage as the natural limits to social harmony, and about how courage manifests in other virtues. I learned that courage is the foundational virtue. Even if you are living your life righteously each day, the moment you condone injustice, you will be deemed irrelevant. It is very much like the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles — now distrusted, after they mishandled cases of sexual abuses done by priests within their jurisdiction. Their foundational credibility continues to be questioned. I love being a Roman Catholic. I was baptized and confirmed. I received the Grace of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe). Yet, I have had an ambivalent relationship with the Catholic Church. I applauded the Vatican, when they recently chose Pope Francis (who has inspired folks to become vigorous witnesses to their faith). At the same time, I questioned the practices of the Institutional Catholic Church’s hierarchy. Two weeks ago, Pope Francis invited a person with Down syndrome to ride with him – a person with disability who’s usually shunned, was given importance by the Pope. I bet you he made that disabled person feel like a millionaire with “expensive” self-esteem, soaring with the swagger of a supermodel. I found out recently there are two kinds of self-esteem: one is expensive, the other, downtrodden. Speaking of downtrodden,victims of sexual abuse, who have not gotten justice, are lacking in self-worth. SB 131 was introduced by by Senators Jim Beall and Ricardo Lara. The bill was introduced to allow victims of abuse to claim justice, as current California Law prevents victims who are 26 years or older from seeking civil damages for abuse committed against them. Many months ago, I became a witness to an abuser/priest, who still had faculties to do fundraisers for his choice charities. I prayed before the interview to have the Holy Spirit guide and be with me. Later in our conversation, I invited him to participate in Simbang Gabi at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (IHMC). He replied that he was a persona non-grata at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I later learned that his name appeared in the database of priests, who committed sexual abuse (www.bishopaccountability.org). His defense was that he had a “mutual consenting relationship” with a 15-year-old girl, whom he was coaching on the debating team, while he was principal at her high school. In his mind, it was mutual consent. Mind you, the girl was 15 and therefore, not an adult. Criminal laws would have made this priest a rapist, if he was sued and found guilty. But, the girl did not. This girl is now 65 years old, yet, she still felt traumatized and filed her complaint. The Archdiocese in Los Angeles settled for $100,000, while the priest’s letter of apology is on the Internet, with remorse at the beginning paragraphs, and towards the last pages of his letter. His illegible handwriting belied his act as justifiable. It cannot ever be justified under any circumstances. Why? When folks abuse, they take on a persona higher than others. It is about power over their victims, the power to take away something from them: their dignities and their psyches! But more than that, the priests occupy a position of moral and public trust and are deified as God-like, at times. Imagine the harm to the victim when this “God-like” persona, who is deemed trustworthy, becomes a sexual predator. The impact of the trauma would be double! Sen. Lara (co-author of SB 131 and himself a survivor of childhood sexual abuse) said the bill is needed “to ensure that kids and the families of victims have their day in court to get the restitution and the resources they need to lead healthy and better lives. Existing law prevents victims of child sex abuse who are 26 years or older from civil damages and seeking justice for the acts committed against them.” At mass two Sundays ago, I was perturbed to hear the opposition of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to SB 131. Their flyer read: “I urge you to reject Senate Bill 131 as written as it discriminates against victims, discriminates against private employers, gives civil immunity to actual perpetrators, and contains no criminal penalties. The retroactive nature of this bill, the exclusion of all publicly-funded entities, especially public schools, and the targeting of private employers, including churches and church-run schools, is patently discriminatory and an unworthy representation of the citizens of California who have elected you in office. Please vote NO on Senate Bill 131.” The Catholic Church in Los Angeles has become reactionary, much like the Catholic Bishops Conference in the US, who opposed universal healthcare for all (aka Obamacare). See, if statute of limitations were removed, as intended by SB 131, it would allow more victims to come forward and to seek justice. That is what happened when the California Legislature made amendments to the statute of limitations, in 2003 — 1,000 new cases of sexual abuses were filed, with 50 dismissed as not meeting the requirements. These are the current summaries, from the Legislative Office of the State of California, on SB 131. Arguments in support: According to the author, “Over the last 27 years the California Legislature has come to have a better understanding of the insidious and latent nature of the injuries suffered by a child who has been sexually abused and the reasons why victims of childhood sex abuse often wait years before reporting the abuse to law enforcement or otherwise. California Code of Civil Procedure Section 340.1, a remedial statute intended to provide redress the child sex abuse victims, has been amended no less than five times since its original enactment in 1986, consistent with this evolving knowledge of the latent effects of the original abuse.” Arguments in opposition: The opposition argues that many private entities acted in reliance on SB 1779 (Burton and Escutia) which created a one-year window in which victims of child sex abuse could bring claims. The Sacramento Country Day School writes that this bill will “break faith with assurances given by the Legislature ten years ago when it enacted SB 1779 (Burton), a one-time, one year lifting of the statute of limitations for all of 2003 that allowed any victim of sexual abuse-regardless of how long ago it occurred-a second chance to file a lawsuit.” While both sides may have merits to their stance.

 

 

 

 

 




.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.