A Crime, Whoever Does It

There are names for adults who prey upon the innocence of children for their own sick gratification: predator, pedophile, pervert.... And because the Catholic Church has been so lethargic in dealing with this tragic phenomenon in its ranks, people increasingly associate “child molester” with another word: “priest.”

This is not fair. The majority of Catholic priests are no doubt drawn to their calling out of compassion and a commitment to serve their God. But the public can hardly be blamed for a distorted perception, given the church’s refusal to aggressively address the scandals that have rocked it. A priest’s abuse of a minor is not just a matter among parents, children and the church hierarchy. One of society’s sacred duties is to protect its most vulnerable members. To fulfill that responsibility demands that law enforcement investigate each credible allegation of child abuse and that those prosecuted and found guilty be punished for their crimes.

As reported in The Times this week, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony has quietly directed as many as a dozen Southern California priests suspected of past sexual abuse to retire or leave their ministries. That’s good as far as it goes. But police agencies told Times reporters Larry B. Stammer, William Lobdell and Richard Winton that none of those cases appear ever to have been referred for criminal prosecution.

Under state law, anyone who knows of molestation must report it to authorities; priests are not shielded from the law unless they hear it in confession. Failure to report such a crime is a misdemeanor. Thus there is a legal as well as a moral imperative for Mahony to come forward and let criminal investigators know who these accused child molesters are and where they are going. The bishop of Orange, Tod D. Brown, did just that and did it in the open, even allowing the priest accused of molesting a teenage boy 19 years ago to say goodbye to parishioners at services last weekend.

In that case, the victim has never filed criminal charges, making it very unlikely that authorities will prosecute. Many parents opt to file civil suits, which does not necessarily protect the next child an abusive priest might encounter. That pattern needs breaking. Catholic parents, priests and lay leaders should report accusations of abuse to law enforcement at the same time they complain to the church, and police need to investigate church-related allegations with the same determined detective work as any other hint that someone has molested a child.

In past statements, the Los Angeles Archdiocese has promised to cooperate fully with civil authorities, and Mahony himself was a member of a national bishops committee that called for such steps. What’s he waiting for?

There’s a name for a priest who molests a child: criminal. Society must demand that such men leave their positions, not by being nudged into retirement, but in handcuffs.