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A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 20 december 2018

Pope accepts resignation of L.A. bishop accused of misconduct

By JOHN ANTCZAK and NI- bishop for San Pedro, one
COLE WINFIELD of five pastoral subdivisions
Associated Press within the archdiocese, un-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pope til 2009 and since then had
Francis has accepted the been vicar for the office of
resignation of a Los Ange- ethnic ministries.
les auxiliary bishop, Mon- A statement from the arch-
signor Alexander Salazar, diocese said the accusa-
following an allegation of tion against Salazar was
misconduct with a minor "reported directly to law
in the 1990s, officials said enforcement in 2002 by a
Wednesday. young adult alleging mis-
The Vatican announced conduct in the 1990s when
the resignation in a one-line Bishop Salazar was a priest
statement. It was the latest and the alleged victim was
in a string of cases of al- a minor."
leged misconduct against The statement said the
bishops to come to light this archdiocese was informed
year, following the scandal of the allegation through a
of ex-Cardinal Theodore third party in 2005. Law en-
McCarrick that exposed forcement had investigat-
how bishops have largely ed the allegation and rec-
avoided sanction for im- ommended prosecution,
proper behavior. but the district attorney did
The current archbishop of not file charges in the case,
Los Angeles, Most Rev. Jose the statement said.
Gomez, said the archdio- The archdiocese said Car-
cese was made aware of dinal Roger Mahony, who
the claim in 2005. Gomez was the Los Angeles arch-
said county prosecutors bishop at the time, request-
declined to bring charges, ed that law enforcement
but that the archdiocese review the case, and he
forwarded the complaint also reported the allega-
to the Vatican office that This Nov. 16, 2013 photo shows the Los Angeles auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Alexander Salazar in tion to the Vatican's Con-
handles sex abuse cases. Garden Grove, Calif. gregation for the Doctrine
Gomez said that office, the Associated Press of the Faith.
Congregation for the Doc- "The Congregation inves-
trine of the Faith, imposed allegation and the resigna- cols are being imposed on cused of misconduct in the tigated and permitted
precautionary measures tion, and the lack of de- Bp. Salazar?" the firm asked decades-long sex abuse Bishop Salazar to remain in
against Salazar and that a tails in the announcement, in a statement. "Why did it scandal, and until recent- ministry subject to certain
further investigation by the which stated the retirement take the Vatican this long ly they have rarely been precautionary conditions,
archdiocese's indepen- is for "early retirement." to act?" sanctioned or removed for which he has respected,"
dent review board found "It takes 13 years for LA The resignation comes dur- covering up for abusers. the statement said.
the allegation to be cred- Catholic officials to disclose ing a year in which the Salazar was born in San Mahony retired as head of
ible. this allegation and even clerical abuse scandal has Jose, Costa Rica, and the archdiocese in 2011, his
Gomez said Salazar, 69, now, they withhold key exploded anew in the U.S. came with his family to the tenure tarnished by his han-
has "consistently denied details about when they and elsewhere. In July, Fran- United States in 1953. The dling of clergy sex abuse
any wrongdoing." The and the Vatican looked at cis removed McCarrick, the family settled in Los Ange- cases, and was replaced
archdiocese said it had re- it and purported(ly) took retired archbishop of Wash- les, and he became a U.S. by Gomez, who publicly re-
ceived no other allegations 'precautionary measures' ington, as a cardinal after citizen at age 18. He en- buked him.
against Salazar. against Salazar, which of a U.S. church investigation tered St. John's Seminary in By 2014, the archdiocese
"These decisions have been course have rarely stopped determined that an alle- suburban Camarillo in 1977 had agreed to pay $720
made out of deep concern more clergy sex crimes," gation he groped a minor and was ordained a priest million to clergy abuse vic-
for the healing and recon- David G. Clohessy, former in the 1970s was credible. in 1984. tims over the previous de-
ciliation of abuse victims director of the Survivors Subsequently several adult From the 1980s through cade and released internal
and for the good of the Network of those Abused seminarians have said he early 2000s, Salazar served files that showed Mahony
church's mission," Gomez by Priests, said in an email pressured them to sleep at several parishes, the for- shielded priests and or-
told the Los Angeles faithful to The Associated Press. with him. mer St. Vibiana Cathedral dered a surrogate to with-
in a letter. "Let us continue The law firm of Jeff Ander- McCarrick has denied and as vice chancellor of hold evidence from police.
to stay close to the victim son & Associates, which the initial allegation and the Archdiocesan Catho- The archdiocese said Go-
survivors of abuse, through pursues litigation on behalf through a lawyer has said lic Center before being in- mez requested a review of
our prayer and our actions." of alleged victims of cler- he looks forward to invok- stalled as a bishop in 2004. all allegations of sexual mis-
Gomez said that the al- gy sex abuse, noted that ing his right to due process. When his selection as conduct involving minors to
leged misconduct oc- Salazar's name wasn't in- The McCarrick scandal auxiliary bishop was an- update a 2004 report that
curred while Salazar was cluded in archdiocese lists exposed the loopholes in nounced, he said in a state- listed accused priests. This
a parish priest in the 1990s, of credibly accused priests how the church treats al- ment: "California is the land investigation was conduct-
and that the claim was released in 2005, 2008 and legations of misconduct of dreams and visions, but ed by the archdiocese's
never directly brought to this year. against bishops, who are I have been blessed with own Clergy Misconduct
the archdiocese. "What does his resigna- answerable only to the more. I have been special- Oversight Board, which
Critics targeted the length tion mean? Has he been pope. Bishops have largely ly privileged to serve as a found the allegation to be
of time between when the laicized? Is he simply re- escaped the same scru- priest — a parish priest." credible, Gomez said in his
archdiocese learned of the tired? What safety proto- tiny as ordinary priests ac- He served as a regional letter.q