Church files and confidentiality

Re “Mahony’s long-shot,” Opinion, Feb. 3

Eric Berkowitz’s Op-Ed article is a brilliant soft-sell on the incredibly heinous acts of the Catholic Church. Even while conceding what a horrible job it has done at admitting, controlling and even recognizing the scourge of abusive priests in its ranks, the church, Berkowitz argues, should be allowed to continue. It’s broke, so let’s not fix it. Is that his point? Please!

When you break the law, you go to jail, especially when you do it under color of high moral authority. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is the leader of this child-molesting pack and deserves more jail time than the rest. I think it’s called a conspiracy to cover up. It took down Richard Nixon, and it should take down Mahony.

GEOFFREY TOZER

Los Angeles

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Berkowitz is concerned that if confidential correspondence between a bishop and a priest is legally required to be made public, it would move the state closer to big-brothering organized religion.

The only reason communications between a bishop and a priest ever reach personnel files is because they directly affect a priest’s job placement and promotion. If private communication ever reaches the personnel file, unless the church has notified the priest of its placement there, the bishop has violated that priest’s confidence. However, if the bishop, with the knowledge of the priest concerned, posts the confidential correspondence to the priest’s personnel file, then said documents become part of the personnel documentation of the organization. Courts often subpoena such personnel documentation from other organizations.

The vast majority of the documents requested by courts are from personnel files. As such, religious structures should not have immunity from providing these documents where legal precedence has required the same of other organizations.

REV. ROBERT H. GREENE

San Pedro