Los Angeles Archdiocese reports on 73 years of clergy sexual abuse

Published: 2004-02-17

LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- The Los Angeles Archdiocese issued a list Feb. 16 of "210 priests, deacons, brothers and seminarians in the archdiocese and one bogus priest ... accused of sexual misconduct involving a minor" since 1930. It said an additional 33 men who were not listed have been accused. It said there had been no criminal or civil action against 28 of those; in the other five cases, the archdiocese could find no record that the person named in a lawsuit ever existed. In listing accusations going back to 1930, the archdiocese went 20 years beyond the investigations conducted last year by most U.S. dioceses in response to a national study of the extent of clergy sexual abuse of minors since 1950. In all, it said, "656 persons have accused 244 priests, deacons, brothers, seminarians and one bogus priest of child sexual abuse." It said 5,000 priests served in the archdiocese during that time. It said the archdiocese has settled child molestation cases since 1985 for a total of $10.35 million. Of that, it said, the archdiocese paid about $3.75 million, insurance paid about $3.7 million and the remainder was paid by others, such as religious orders, other dioceses or the perpetrators themselves.

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