A Settlement in Los Angeles

New York Times Editorial

July 17, 2007

In announcing a $660 million settlement for more than 500 victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles tried to soothe the turbulent waters with conciliatory oil. “Once again, I apologize to anyone who has been offended, to anyone who has been abused,” he said.

It is up to the survivors to judge what those words are worth, but it helps to know the context in which they were spoken. They came just before the first trial would have started, at which Cardinal Mahony would have been required to testify. They followed four years of stonewalling and legalistic warfare by the archdiocese, the nation’s largest, that needlessly delayed this outcome and prolonged the suffering of hundreds of plaintiffs. And they came, of course, far too late for the children and adults whose innocence and trust were violated by priests.

Facing two avenues of public confession — apologizing before cameras or testifying about what he did or did not do about predatory priests — Cardinal Mahony took the gentler path. Facing the possibility of jury awards, and the exhumation and examination of evil acts, the archdiocese bought an expensive blanket of silence and financial closure.

The latest payment — millions of it from insurance companies, religious orders whose members were abusers and other sources — leaves the archdiocese free to move on, its leadership untouched and its parishes and schools unaffected. Adding in previous settlements, the archdiocese will end up giving more than three-quarters of $1 billion to the people on whom its priests preyed. The Catholic Church in the United States has paid more than $2 billion to survivors and their families — so far.

Those victims will never be made whole. The Los Angeles survivors will have about $1.3 million each, for treatment and therapy. They have the consolation of public vindication, the acknowledgment by the cardinal himself that a “terrible sin and crime” was inflicted upon them. And many have avoided reliving their anguish at trial.

But many also remain dissatisfied that the full truth about that sin, how it was abetted and tolerated by church leaders, may never be revealed. The settlement calls for the archdiocese to turn over internal files on abuse cases to a retired judge, who will decide whether and how to make them public. Plaintiffs’ lawyers say they expect still more struggling as the diocese fights to keep incriminating documents under wraps.

Three years after the Catholic bishops resolved in Dallas to set their house in order, the spirit of openness, humility and reconciliation from that historic meeting has failed to take root. Cardinal Mahony, like many of his counterparts, has avoided having to square his words with his deeds in open court. The money may bring some comfort to the church’s surviving victims, but their hunger for the full truth and accountability has yet to be satisfied.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/opinion/17tue1.html