Archbishop letter on sex abuse read at L.A. churche
BY AP Wire Service
Monday, February 04, 2013
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Roman Catholic parishioners in Los Angeles on Sunday heard a letter from Archbishop Jose Gomez in which he described newly-released files on clergy sex abuse as "terribly sad and evil."
The Los Angeles Times reported that the archbishop's words were read by church leaders at Masses across the city. The letter was made public late last week.
Gomez said the church needs to acknowledge the "terrible failure" of its handling of abuse cases.
At St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood, parishioner Eric Nielsen praised the archbishop for addressing the issue. But Nielsen told the Times he would probably stop attending the church because he was upset by the child abuse scandal.
On Thursday, Gomez stripped his predecessor, Cardinal Roger Mahony, of his administrative duties for failing to take swift action against abusive priests.
Original Print Headline: In letter, L.A. archbishop addresses abuse cases
