Interview of Cardinal Roger Mahony by Dick Helton and Vicky Moore
KNX 1070
January 29, 2009

http://www.knx1070.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=
Episode&audioId=3392573

[Note from BishopAccountability.org: See also U.S. Attorney Adds Mahony to His File, by Scott Glover and David Savage, Los Angeles Times, January 29, 2009. The transcript below was created by us from the KNX streaming audio file. In his remarks, Cardinal Mahony refers to the Report to the People of God, issued by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in February 2004. The archdiocese then issued three errata to the Report (1 2 3) and finally a more extensive Addendum to the Report in October-November 2005. For the major differences between the original Report and its Addendum, see Details on 11 Priests Missing in '04 Report: Mahony's Disclosure on Sex Abuse Claims Left out Information on Clerics Who Stayed in Ministry, by Jean Guccione and William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times (4/20/06). The Addendum was not a complete accounting. See our discussion of the Addendum with links. See also Mahony Accounts of Abuse Case Tape Differ, by John Spano, Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2007.]

Helton: We're getting more now on the federal investigation into the Los Angeles archdiocese, and we have a response from one of the men right in the middle of this, of course, and that is the LA archdiocesan cardinal, Roger Mahony. Cardinal, your response to what we are now learning from the U.S. Attorney's office, at least through some leaks – this grand jury investigation?

Mahony: Well, basically we were mystified and puzzled by the whole thing. We have been through these investigations [chuckles] for years now – our own internal investigations, outside audit investigations, district attorney, law enforcement, et cetera, and all of ... there are 22 priests named in this, and two are dead. The other 20 are all returned to the lay state and long gone, so we're kind of mystified at what this is all about.

Helton: Let's, let’s ask you right now whether in fact you have been told or your attorney has been told that you are a target of this investigation. There are some reports suggesting that you are. So what is your knowledge and understanding?

Mahony: My knowledge and understanding is, is we don't know. We have not been told anyone is a target of investigation, but rather the subpoena called for those 22 priests to have their documents sent over there. So they were the only ones of interest, as far as we know. Apparently, if I can glean between what's, what’s being leaked, et cetera, seems to have to do with who got transferred when and how, and whether or not all the folks were, in the parishes were notified. And I, most of these situations in those 22 priests go back into the '60s and '70s, years and years ago. And there's no question about it, that the way things were done then, is not the way things are done today. And, and we admit it. In fact, we put on our website Report to the People of God in February of 2004, a complete breakdown of all of those cases and all of those situations, all of our failures along the way, and so, we don't know where this is all coming from.

Helton: Well, well let me stop you right there, Cardinal, (by the way, we're talking to Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony) because in, even in that statement that you have just made, I mean, there seems to be an admission that what the grand jury is looking into, the suggestion that over some period of time, that there was this failure, that you in fact are admitting that there was a failure.

Mahony: Oh, well, we have said repeatedly that the way, our understanding of this problem, and the way it's dealt with today [coughs], evolved, and that in those years ago, decades ago, people didn't realize how serious this was, and so, rather than pulling people out of ministry directly and fully, they were moved. And, but that's changed, that started changing in the early '90s, and over the years, we just don't do that anymore. So, but we said that in our Report to the People of God, that yes, this way of dealing with these issues has evolved, and during those early years, it was not handled right. We've said that over and over again. So, that's why [chuckles] it puzzles me, why now does this come up, when we said that clearly over the, years ago.

Moore: Cardinal, prosecutors have been investigating you for years, for some time. Do you simply think there’s, it sounds like you’re saying there's nothing here, or maybe are they, do you think they're out to get you?

Mahony: Well, I have no idea what their, their motives are. What I'm concerned in, as archbishop, is to make sure our parishes and schools are safe for children and young people. And we have put in, into place the most effective, I think, system of child protection that there could possibly be. And we continue to work very closely with law enforcement on these matters, and they've been a big help to us. Remember, our own investigators who help us with these cases are all retired FBI agents. [laughs] If anybody's going to find anything wrong with what we're doing, it's certainly going to be former FBI agents. They in fact are the ones who do the investigations. They've been a big help to us. So, I don't know what's behind it, as I say, it's curious. We, I thought maybe when the Report to the People of God came out, they, somebody might raise some questions, because we admitted everything in there. Never, never happened. And all the years since, we reached a settlement with the plaintiffs, and that's all behind us, so exactly what's motivating this, I think only the U.S. Attorney, Mr. O'Brien, can tell us.

Moore: Speaking live with Cardinal Roger Mahony of the LA archdiocese. Plenty of people certainly have, have criticized the LA archdiocese for not doing enough, despite what you have done already, and saying that there is a lack of transparency, that you have not been forthcoming with information out of the archdiocese. How do you respond to that?

Mahony: Well, that is simply not true. Again, when you're looking over these cases, the vast ma …, 90 percent of these cases occurred in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, decades back, and in those days, these things were not dealt with with the seriousness, the understanding that we have today. And so we have said, over and over again, yes, mistakes were made back in those years. But our response has been, fix it, make it work right, and now, I think our system works tremendous. We have a great lay oversight board that handles all these cases, that I don't have anything to do with it, they make recommendations to me, what we should do. So I think we have in place now the most secure system possible. But we have said, yes, early days, it wasn't handled the way it should be. Now …

Helton: Let me, and we'll wrap this up, but I just want to ask you ...

Mahony: Sure.

Helton: … two questions.

Mahony: Sure.

Helton: One is, if you are asked to appear before this grand jury, will you? And secondly, you know, grand jury leaks usually are designed to affect some sort of either public thinking or something to that extent. Do you think that leaks coming out of this grand jury are designed to bring you into disrepute and also to bring the Catholic church in Los Angeles into disrepute?

Mahony: Well, I just don't know the answer to that, Dick, and of course, I'd be willing to work with anybody. I've always been willing to meet with anybody, U.S. Attorney's office, District Attorney's office, anyone, and we have met with people over the years on all of these questions. That's why I thought all the questions were already looked into and resolved years back now. But I'd be very happy to cooperate with anyone, always have been willing to do so.

Helton: Well, to nail it down, then, if asked to appear before this grand jury, you would do so.

Mahony: Of course.

Helton: Okay.

Mahony: Of course. Anybody would.

Helton: Yeah. All right, Cardinal, we appreciate your time this morning, I know it's a busy time for you, and thank you for that. It's obviously a story that's going to continue to raise a lot of interesting questions here in the community over the next several days. Cardinal Roger Mahony with us here live on KNX 1070 News Radio for you this morning.