Mahony Resisted Abuse Inquiry, Panelist Says
Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who has publicly called on the Roman Catholic Church to be open in its response to the sexual abuse scandal, tried this spring to derail an effort by church officials to figure out exactly how many priests may have been implicated in abuse, according to members of the church's watchdog panel.
Mahony's effort was one example of resistance by some bishops nationwide that the head of the panel, former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, called "stunning, startling."
In an interview, Keating, who was named last year by the U.S. bishops to head their National Review Board, used unusually vivid language to criticize the resistance he has seen across the country. Some members of the church hierarchy -- he did not name them -- had behaved "like La Cosa Nostra," he said.
"I have seen an underside that I never knew existed. I have not had my faith questioned, but I certainly have concluded that a number of serious officials in my faith have very clay feet. That is disappointing and educational, but it's a fact," Keating said.
"To act like La Cosa Nostra and hide and suppress, I think, is very unhealthy," he said. "Eventually it will all come out."
Keating added that "I think there are a number of bishops -- and I put Cardinal Mahony in that category -- who listen too much to his lawyer and not enough to his heart."
"I appreciate he's watching out for the best interests of his diocese," the board chairman said. "But we have a mandate for transparency, full disclosure and openness. That's what we're carrying out."
Responding to those comments, Mahony spokesman Tod Tamberg called Keating "a sincere and well-meaning person."
"I would attribute his remarks, perhaps, to extra zeal. He's not an authority on California law or the pastoral concerns of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. We'll just leave it at that," Tamberg said.
He added that the matter that appeared to have sparked Keating's criticism had been resolved earlier this week. That dispute involved the review board's attempt to survey all 195 American dioceses on the number of priests accused of sexual abuse.
The survey is a central part of the panel's effort to determine the extent of the sexual abuse crisis.
Media organizations have estimated that 432 of 46,000 U.S. priests resigned, retired or were otherwise removed from ministry in 2002 under suspicion of sexual abuse. No official count, however, has been made of the total number of accused priests.
