Catholics Hear Message on Sex Abuse

For many Southland Catholics, Sunday Masses were far from typical.

Priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese were told to read a statement during Masses from Cardinal Roger M. Mahony denouncing the “scandalous evil of child abuse” by priests that has shaken the U.S. Roman Catholic Church from Boston to Southern California.

The short statement sparked a range of reactions, from applause to indignation.

Some asked why Mahony has taken so long to deal with the issue.

“I don’t necessarily like that the church has been so silent,” Heidi Galutera said as she walked out of Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish near Griffith Park. “It’s about time they deal with this.”

Others, however, were relieved to hear from Mahony. “It makes me feel better that the church is making a public statement,” said Jesus Oliva, 36, as he left St. Vincent’s Parish near downtown Los Angeles. “They are sending a message that the church won’t tolerate this kind of abuse.”

A week ago in Orange County, Father Michael Pecharich was forced to resign by Bishop Tod D. Brown as part of the new zero-tolerance policy for priests with substantiated charges of molestation in their backgrounds.

The new guidelines, adopted by both the Los Angeles and Orange dioceses this year, were a requirement in a $5.2-million settlement to a single victim who accused Msgr. Michael Harris, a high-ranking priest in Orange County, of sexual abuse.

Pecharich admitted to molesting a teenage boy 19 years ago, an admission that polarized some in his congregation at San Francisco Solano in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Many thought the priest had straightened out his life. Others were outraged that they weren’t told that Pecharich had admitted sexually abusing a minor to diocesan officials in 1996.

A second victim came forward last week to accuse Pecharich of sexual abuse about 25 years ago. Jim Griley, 38, of Morro Bay said he went public because of comments from some of Pecharich’s parishioners that their priest had been unfairly ousted from the diocese.

Church officials in Orange County are still combing through personnel files to see if other priests have past incidents of sexual abuse.

After a sermon on the importance of bringing sin into the open, Father Christopher Drennen of Our Mother of Good Counsel read Mahony’s statement.

Mahony called child abuse criminal and “seriously sinful.” He said the church won’t knowingly hire or employ priests, deacons or teachers when “such an individual is determined to have previously engaged in the sexual abuse of a minor.”

Mahony said church leaders have an “obligation to report the reasonable suspicion of child abuse” to police or child protective services.

A little over a week ago, sources revealed that Mahony had recently forced the retirement or dismissal of up to a dozen priests alleged to have been involved in sexual abuse. The action has not been acknowledged by Mahony, and church officials have not said whether they have given authorities the names of priests accused of wrongdoing.

After the Mass at Our Mother of Good Counsel, Drennen said parishioners seemed more somber and reflective than usual. They appeared to be taking in the seriousness of the issue, he said. Many said they just didn’t want to talk, not even to their priest.

Yet some voiced frustration with how the church has handled the scandal.

“I think it’s too little, too late,” Erwin David said. “The church has been too silent. Why are we only hearing about this now, when it clearly has been going on for some time?”

Added Andrew Fontaine Jr., a retired mechanic from Silver Lake: “There’s been rumors of this stuff. It seems like it happens all over. The people who have done this kind of thing, a lot of people feel [the priests] were protected too much.”

But Linda Yeaman of Northridge, a fourth-grade teacher active at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Canoga Park, praised Mahony for being “proactive.”

“He’s ahead of the game,” Yeaman said.

While the Catholic Church has been dogged by rumors of abuse for years, the issue developed into a scandal after cases across the nation were made public and received widespread media attention.

Last week the bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Fla., resigned after admitting he had abused a teenage boy 25 years ago. In Boston and Philadelphia, the church has turned over to law enforcement information implicating more than 80 priests in abuse.

Mahony’s statement was delivered in varying ways by the clergy.

At the noon service at St. Vincent’s Parish, Father Emmanuel Osuji made no reference to Mahony’s comments until after his sermon. He simply made an announcement that the cardinal had a few words for the congregation.

Osuji read the statement, then, without additional comment, moved on to announce the week’s events calendar.

Msgr. James C. Gehl took a different approach at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church.

After a Gospel reading in which Jesus gave sight to a blind man, Gehl addressed an issue “where the church has been blind as well.”

Gehl urged his parishioners to pray for victims of sexual abuse, their families and the abusers.