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February 25, 2013

Molestation Victims: L.A. Cardinal Should Miss Conclave 
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Cardinal Keith O'Brien had planned on attending the upcoming conclave in
Vatican City to select Pope Benedict's successor, but now says he will
not be going. On Saturday, victims of church sex abuse gathered at a Los
Angeles church to call on Cardinal Roger Mahony to also drop out of the
conclave. Recently disclosed internal documents have confirmed Mahony
and other top clergy officials at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los
Angeles deliberately hid evidence of child molestation for more than a
decade.

Chris Pumpelly, Catholics United: "What I deliver today is a message of
pain from thousands of Catholics. Cardinals, bishops and leaders of the
church, listen to the cries of your flock, respect the victims of abuse
and cover up, don't run from it. Your scandal brings pain to the
faithful."

Joelle Casteix, Survivors Network Of Those Abused By Priests: "Cardinal
Mahony believes that he has the blessing of the people to go to the
conclave and Catholics United is here to say, 'No, he does not.' Victims
are here to say, 'You have conducted criminal activities, you should not
be anywhere near the conclave because we believe that whatever pope he
votes for is going to continue a cycle of abuse and cover up.'"

The protest came on the same day Mahony was deposed in a civil lawsuit
brought by child molestation victims. Mahony helped transfer abusive
priests out of state to avoid prosecution and stopped them from
confessing to therapists who would have been forced to inform police.

 

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