Opinion: In today’s pages: Catholic Church pays up, California students drop out
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The editorial board responds to the L.A. Archdiocese’s $660 million sexual abuse settlement:
In this case, money does talk — and what it says is something the American church in general and this archdiocese in particular were scandalously slow to acknowledge: that, for decades, wolves in shepherds’ clothing took advantage of the most innocent members of their flock. They were enabled by bishops who looked the other way or naively trusted that sexual predators could be rehabilitated or given ‘safe’ assignments.In announcing the settlement, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony offered ‘my personal apology to every victim who has suffered sexual abuse by a priest, religious, deacon or layperson in this archdiocese.’ We have no doubt that the apology was a heartfelt one. But the cardinal also bears responsibility for his excessively defensive legal strategy.
The board also explores one state senator’s efforts to help keep some of the 150,000 California students who drop out each year in school.
On the op-ed page, columnist Jonah Goldberg flexes his long memory to expose ‘partisan amnesia’ among liberals. Contributing editor Bill Stall says Yosemite Valley should stop trying to limit visitors and stick to its management plan. Carl Marziali, who reported on clergy sexual abuse for ‘This American Life’, was surprised that no one mentioned the massive settlement at Mass. Retired New York Times sportswriter Gerald Eskenazi finds it a lot harder to be a baseball fan in the age of Barry Bonds and the asterisk.
Letter writers react to the Catholic Church settlement. Studio City’s Jack Bailey says, ‘If [Cardinal Roger M.] Mahony were a decent man, he’d resign. I guess that means he’ll stick around.’