Group asks for censure of bishop

S.J. Cahn

A support group for clergy abuse victims sent a letter to a Catholic

lay group Tuesday, asking it to declare that Orange County Bishop Tod

D. Brown violated the U.S. Bishops Charter for the Protection of

Children and Young People in a case involving a priest at a Balboa

Peninsula church.

The letter, sent by members of the Survivors Network of those

Abused by Priests, alleges that the diocese kept secret a $500,000

settlement with a victim of Msgr. Daniel Murray of Our Lady of Mount

Carmel and failed to remove Murray from his position.

“As the largest support group for survivors for sexual abuse by

clergy, we believe that the actions by Tod D. Brown and the Diocese

of Orange are putting children in direct risk in the Diocese of

Orange,” the letter reads.

Among the two women who signed the letter was Corona del Mar

resident Joelle Casteix, the group’s Orange County spokeswoman, who

says she was abused by a priest when she was in her teens. It was

sent to the executive director of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

and asks that it be forwarded to the group’s National Review Board.

Bishops established the National Review Board two years ago to

monitor how church leaders handle sex abuse cases.

The letter outlines three separate violations of the charter: that

Murray remains in his post; that the settlement was kept secret for

almost a year; and that the diocese refused to make the case public.

Fr. Joe Fenton, the diocese’s spokesman, took issue with each of

the points.

Murray is on “administrative leave,” Fenton said, and is not

allowed to act publicly as a priest, though he is still paid. He

added that Murray has denied the charges.

A county review board is investigating the charges, which date

back to September 2003, he added.

“This will be thoroughly investigated,” Fenton said, adding that

under church canon, Murray is considered innocent until proven

guilty.

The settlement was not announced, Fenton said, at the request of

the alleged victim and was done to stave off even higher costs had

the case gone to trial.

Finally, Fenton denied that the diocese failed to make the case

public, as it is supposed to, pointing out that no confidentiality

agreement was signed.

Casteix said her group sent the letter so the bishop would receive

a public censure for his actions.

She added that she did not believe Murray is removed fully from

his duties.

“It is an affront to every survivor in Orange County and is

morally repugnant,” she said.

“We just want the bishop to live up to his word,” she said.

Fenton said that, if the county review board find Murray guilty,

he will be dismissed from his post.

* S.J. CAHN is the managing editor. He may be reached at (949)

574-4233 or by e-mail at s.j.cahn@latimes.com.