Advocates for clergy abuse victims urge parishioners to speak out about convicted priest

Members of a support group for victims of alleged clergy abuse passed out leaflets in front of St. Columbkille Catholic Church in South Los Angeles today, urging parishioners and church employees who have information about sex crimes to speak out.

St. Columbkille is the former parish of defrocked priest Michael Stephen Baker, who in 2007 was sent to prison for sexually abusing two boys, and who authorities have identified as a prolific child molester.

Joelle Casteix, southwest regional director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the group believes there may be many more sexual abuse victims at the parish. St. Columbkille officials were not available for comment.

Baker was recently questioned by a federal grand jury investigating how the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Cardinal Roger M. Mahony handled priests accused of molestation, according to sources familiar with the proceedings.

J. Michael Hennigan, an attorney representing Mahony and the archdiocese, has said the cardinal is not a target of the inquiry.

Casteix alleged that the archdiocese has not aggressively sought out other victims and witnesses, and said she believes that parishioners could help law enforcement build a case against Catholic higher-ups and potentially bring new charges against Baker.

Hennigan said “the archdiocese aggressively investigates every allegation or suspected incident, and in those cases looks for other victims. If SNAP has other information, they should deliver it to us and we will pursue it as we have done in the past.”

-- Carla Rivera

Comments

[Bob Schwiderski]

Ya sure the Archdiocese wants to "persue it as we have done in the past." -- In other words spin words.

If the Archidiocese desires to support those that have been abused by Baker THEY SHOULD OPEN THE CHUCHES BAKER WAS ASSIGNEND TO AN OUTREACH FORUM. Openly announce and sponsor a SNAP victim outreach presentation. Bob Schwiderski

[Ron Mepwith]

It is long past time for parishioners to speak out about the vile activities of pedophile priests. Such a scandal that the heirarchy has protected the miscreants. All such bishops and cardinals ought to be in prison for misprision of a felony, because they protected the pedophiles.

[Ugh]

How in the world has Mahony come out of all of this without a scratch? The hypocrisy and evil connected to these so-called "religious people" is mind boggling. They protect these priests disgusting behavior mafioso-style, but then those same people sit and preach to the rest of us how to act and how to live. Disgusting.

[Gretchen Paules]

The Let Go...Let Peace Come In Foundation is a newly formed nonprofit with a mission to help heal and support adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse worldwide. We are actively seeking adult survivors who would be willing to post a childhood photo and caption, their story, or their creative expressions to our website www.letgoletpeacecomein.org. By uniting survivors from across the globe we can help provide a stronger and more powerful voice to those survivors who have not yet found the courage to speak out. Together we can; together we should; together we NEED to stand up and be counted. Please visit our site for more details on how you can send us your submissions.

Thank you for everything you do!

Gretchen Paules
Administrative Director
Let Go...Let Peace Come In Foundation
111 Presidential Blvd., Suite 212
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

[Edward Lozzi]

A few months back, after the Obama Administration was sworn in, a Federal Investigation, for the first time in history, began of Cardinal Roger Mahoney and the Diocese of Los Angeles for Obstruction of Justice and Aiding & Abetting many cases of covering up sexual abuse of children. Does anyone know what is happening with this investigation?

[Norma Villarreal]

Law enforcement can build cases against those who commited crimes within the parish and those who enabled them if parishoners and church employees with information about (alleged) sex crimes speak up. It is doubtful the archdiocese will aggressively seek out witnesses and victims of clergy abuse and "investigate every allegation or suspected incident."