It's not the waves, it's the undertow...

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Dec 03, 2004

... and from the perspective of Cardinal Roger Mahony, the problem isn't with the $85+ million that the nearby Orange diocese is handing out to sex-abuse victims. (The ever-reliable laity will foot the bill; see the items below.) The problem is with the legal precedents.

Fact: By accepting an out-of-court settlement, the Orange diocese tacitly accepted the validity of a California law making it easier to bring sex-abuse lawsuits. The Los Angeles archdiocese contends that the law is unconstitutional.

Fact: Bishop Tod Brown agreed to let the court decide whether or not priest-personnel records should be released to the public. Cardinal Mahony says that the release of records would violate his episcopal responsibility, and any legal demand for these records is tantamount to a state-sponsored assault on the confessional seal.

If the Los Angeles archdiocese is sincere its legal argumentation, Cardinal Mahony should denounce Bishop Brown for supporting an unconstitutional law and for abdicating his pastoral responsibility.

Again, I say this should happen if the folks inside the LA chancery believe their own legal arguments. I'm not holding my breath.