Catholic Cardinals Being Sued for Concealing Child Abuse
21/04/2010 10:17
A Mexican citizen is suing two Catholic cardinals, a Mexican and an American, for trying to conceal abuses committed by a priest on several children. The suit alleges the Cardinals knew about the cases of sexual abuse by the priest.
A US and Mexican Catholic cardinals are being sued in United States court by a Mexian citizen for conceling sexual abuse by a Mexican priest on several children under their care.
The suit, filed in a Los Angeles federal court on behalf of an unidentified Mexican man, charges that US cardinal Roger Mahony and Mexican cardinal Norberto Rivera intentionally covered up a pattern of child sex abuse by former priest Nicolas Aguilar, Yahoo News reports.
The complainant alleges the "defendants, in concert with each other and with the intent to conceal and defraud, conspired... (to) misrepresent, conceal and fail to disclose information relating to the sexual misconduct of Father Aguilar,"
The case claims that Aguilar demonstrated a pattern of sexual abuse of minors that was known to Rivera, who nonetheless authorized his transfer to the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1987. The suit alleges Rivera sent Mahony a letter detailing Aguilar's "homosexual problems," including information about alleged child sex abuse, but the Mexican priest was allowed to remain in his office. Mahony denies receiving the March 1987 letter.
Aguilar has been a subject of a number of complaints. In a 1997, Aguilar was reported to have abused two altar boys and in 1998, police uncovered alleged 26 sexual allegations of sexual abuse by the priest during his nine month stay in Los Angeles.
The priest remains free after serving a one year jail term. The Catholic church is struggling with an avalanche of complaints about Catholic priests engaging in sexual abuse on people under their care mostly women and children.
In his visit to Malta Sunday, the Pope met with at least eight victims of sexual abuse and promised them he will do everything possible to protect the children and other victims of abuse by some misguided Catholic priests.
(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )