LOS ANGELES (CA)
Los Angeles Times
[Michael Baker – Los Angeles archdiocese]
[Fidencio Silva-Flores – Los Angeles archdiocese]
By Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times
February 4, 2013
The release of thousands of pages of church files showing how Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and other top Los Angeles Archdiocese officials dealt with priest molestation cases has generated outrage and anguish at parishes across Southern California.
But for victims of abuse, there is also the pain of learning details of how top church leaders tried to cover up the scandal.
Matt Severson says that as a boy, he was abused by Father Michael Baker. Severson was a plaintiff in the record civil settlement over church abuse a few years ago. The release of the files has him reliving what happened decades ago.
“It’s deeply disheartening to read these files. It’s obvious that the L.A. Archdiocese and everyone working with them were aware of those of us being abused by Michael Baker and others like him,” Severson said.
“While the letters, psychological evaluations and notes from Mahony and other clergy clearly and unequivocally detail that I and others were being harmed by Michael Baker, there is no indication that Mahony or anyone associated with the church had any intention of trying to reach out to help us, or to alert the authorities that these crimes were being committed,” he added.
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