More corrupt than Boston?

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Dec 16, 2004

Feel the need for pain? The full text of Cardinal Mahony's recent deposition is online here.

The accompanying article, I regret to say, falls short in some respects from the editorial deference traditionally accorded metropolitan archbishops.

"No amount of public relations can turn this into a poor memory," says A.W. Richard Sipe, a psychotherapist, author and former priest. "For a man of his background and administrative capability to make such a claim is disgusting. We're scratching at the surface of his character here. And you are seeing the philosophy of the Catholic hierarchy, which is, 'I only lie when I have to.'"

Mahony’s credibility will be an issue in 544 lawsuits headed for settlement in Los Angeles. ... While attorneys contend a large enough settlement could cost Mahony his job, Sipe believes the truth could be more effective. "If the real story gets told, lay people will realize that Los Angeles is more corrupt than Boston," he says.

Sad, isn't it? Sipe seems not to have gotten the key message the bishops sent us about the Crisis: that "It's history."