LOS ANGELES (CA)
National Catholic Reporter
by Tom Roberts | Feb. 1, 2013
Friday’s announcement that a retired Los Angeles cardinal and an auxiliary bishop have been disciplined because of their roles in covering up priests’ sexual abuse of children is a step in the right direction, says a lawyer long involved in representing victims — but, he adds, the discipline is only a step, not an ending.
Attorney Tony DeMarco said Friday the discipline was forced by the court-ordered release of documents that detailed the conduct of church leaders, and a careful reading of those documents will show that some leaders who put children at risk “are still in place.”
The release of approximately 12,000 pages of documents detailing the sexual abuse of children by priests and cover-up by archdiocesan officials was a long-fought victory for DeMarco, who pursued release of the documents, which the archdiocese fought to keep sealed for 10 years. He has represented more than 400 victims of abuse, some of whom were part of Los Angeles cases.
An agreement by the archdiocese to release the documents was part of a 2007 settlement of 508 cases for $660 million. But immediately, the archdiocese took legal steps to block the release, a process that was complicated and delayed when a retired judge who was hired to review the documents recused himself from the process.
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