LA Update: Progress toward new referee for document release. And if survivors wonder about the cross, it is no concern to Mahony

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By Kay Ebeling

Attorneys will file the application this week for Dickran Tevrizian to be the new referee in the LA Clergy Cases. Tony DeMarco said he received the retired federal judge’s Certificate of Availability last week so he can now take the next step towards replacing Edward A. Panelli as referee. If approved, Tevrizian will review personnel records and other items from the 560 plus cases, which settled with the stipulation that documents would be released to plaintiffs in July 2007.

Meanwhile the documents themselves are in geographic locations around the city, including attorneys’ offices, and the Archdiocese Archives building in Granada Hills. Don’t know who’s to keep those very ethical church employees from accidentally shredding the most condemning documents before they get to the new referee.

Call me hopelessly untrusting but it also bothers me that the Survivors Cross was never returned to LA plaintiffs, in fact no one really knows where it is. “It has pictures of the plaintiffs when they were the age of their abuse on it,” I hollered into someone’s ear in a recent phone conversation. “Doesn't it bother you that now the cross in a basement somewhere in the archdiocese for any pervert to come across?”

Last July, activist Debbra Bodkin wrote this in a letter to Roger Mahony, and the man did not even deign to respond:

Dear Cardinal Mahony:

I am a Catholic wife, mother and active supporter of justice and peace; especially as it relates to
the clergy sex abuse crisis that erupted in June 2002. This letter is written with respect and concern, hoping to clarify and disprove the serious accusations circulating throughout Southern California Catholic communities.

In June 2003, a group of sex abuse survivors, families and supporters proceeded toward the Cathedral’s entrance and placed a cross with photographs, in the alcove specifically “designated” by you for observance of the suffering of sex abuse victims. Unfortunately, there was a debate in front of live cameras at the time; however, the procession stopped at the entrance to the alcove, a brief statement was made to the press and the cross remained on display at the Cathedral since June 2003. However, we were recently told that the cross and photos have been removed from the site you specifically “designated” for observance of the suffering of sex abuse victims.”

Actually, City of Angels Lady is the one who discovered the cross had been removed. As one of the few pedophile priest rape survivors who can walk into the cathedral without barfing - (Yay though I walk into the valley of death I fear no evil) - I was the one who first saw way last spring that the survivor cross was no longer in its display area.

From what I understand, no one can get a straight answer or any answer at all from Tod Tamberg the archdiocese spokesman, or from Mahony or anyone else.

Hey, they paid the settlement, what more do you want?

What more do you expect?

Consideration?

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The cross meant a lot to many of the LA plaintiffs. Here is how one of the persons who helped carry the cross inside recently described the incident to me (name withheld):

The last Sunday in May 2003, Mahony calls the media and dedicates little alcove in the cathedral to the victims of sex abuse.

He had advance notice that we were going to hold a demonstration, and he thought his announcement would steal our thunder.

So we went ahead with our plan. We had about 150 people outside, we had every damn news station in LA with TV, we had all sorts of preparations, we had people with pictures around their necks, we had lots of placards. It was like, you know, it was like a fiesta on Olvera Street, it was just teeming with people.

Even Mahony came out and Tamberg and at first they said no you can’t put that cross in here.

We kept insisting and then when there was a lull we were inside.

I don't remember the exact details, but a couple of people just looked around and said let’s just take it inside. I ran ahead and someone got the door. They had people standing in front of him, Mahony, some woman with her maroon security coat and her walkie talkie and the other guys were just moving forward. I recall seeing Tamberg shake his head, like don’t stand in their way.

So they stood aside, someone held the door open and they took it into the cathedral and we looked for the alcove. People were already there and they said over here. the alcove where Mahony had a little plaque for the survivors.
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Someone grabbed each end of cross with and they said there’s a space in the corner let’s go. It was all caught on tape, on Channel 11.

They had this plaque that said:

This space is dedicated to those who were affected by childhood sexual abuse.

Or something like that.

Well several months into this, they left it there, but they took down the plaque.

A lot of people saw the cross and pictures of children and didn't know what it was about, and so they put pictures of their kids who were shot in gang violence and who had leukemia and who had other illnesses and the whole thing was diluted.

Originally, a survivor wrote something like “I was four years old when father so and so ripped my hymen and I’ve had physical problems with my sexual organs ever since.”

The archdiocese employees would tear those pages out.

Then people started writing things in Spanish about the husband in jail and kids taking drugs please Angel Gabriel come and help, so it turned into that kind of thing, my nina lost his leg and he needs a job, stuff like that.

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Also coming up:

The church tries to seal documents that should have been unsealed, or unseal documents that shouldn't have been sealed - in a hearing December 10th.

Will report more later. Right now, my boss is calling me.

From LA Superior Court website:

12/10/2008 at 10:00 am in department 308 at 600 South Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90005 Hearing-Oral Argument

1) RE MTN. TO UNSEAL COURT RECORDS FILED ON 6-13-08

2) HRG. RE OBJECT.TO CT. ORDER OF 10-31-08

3) OSC REPROOF OF BOND AND PROBATE CASE

Onward. . .