Praise and Doubts for O.C. Bishop

Re “Bishop’s Bold Move,” Dec. 5: Roman Catholic Bishop Tod Brown of Orange has begun the healing process for 87 victims and thousands of parishioners in his diocese by not fighting the release of internal church documents so that all may learn from the mistakes of a few. Unlike his counterpart, the archbishop of Los Angeles, Bishop Brown has shown leadership, courage, honesty and a true sense of concern and compassion for victims and their families in Orange County. He truly is a man of his word! Francisco E. Malo Jr.

Hawthorne

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It has been two years since the bishops met in Dallas and heard victims speak of their sexual abuse by priests. Why did Bishop Brown wait until now to decide to send victims personal letters of apology? He should have listened to his conscience and not to his legal advisors, and acknowledged the pain and suffering of the victims much sooner. The timing is suspicious.

Marie Pietrasanta

Encino

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It was a struggle to understand Bishop Brown’s feeling of “peace” following the Orange County diocesan settlement with sexual abuse survivors. “Relief,” perhaps, or “hope” that this bold settlement would help validate those who had the courage to come forth and aid in their healing process. The Catholic Church, however, is still in distress. Entrenched forms of a power pathology that made it possible for abuse in any form to occur in the first place remain intact, and they will not disappear with a check.

Accountability on the part of this church so many of us love must also include the arduous task of critically evaluating the institutional health and spiritual authenticity of a hierarchical infrastructure that is gender exclusive, resistant to scrutiny, frequently secretive and that steadfastly has barred its doors to shared authority with lay participants in decision-making.

In looking at the astounding settlement, my feeling was that it was too much -- and too little. “Peace” will come when roots of abuse have been excised and the church community has been restored to genuine gospel values of inclusion, transparency and compassion.

Dale Mary Grenfell

Pacific Palisades