Let me get this straight:
Lawyers for the Archdiocese of LA want six sex abuse and cover-up lawsuits against one of its former priests, Nicholas Aguilar Rivera, tossed out of court.
- Fr. Aguilar Rivera. Have passport, will molest
Even though, according to the Associated Press:
- The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in 1988 filed 19 felony counts against Aguilar Rivera,
- “[The Archdiocese] has no doubt these children were his victims” (Church lawyer J. Michael Hennigan)
- Mahony gave the priest permission to work for one year in the Los Angeles archdiocese after the Mexican cleric had been severely beaten at his parish in Tehuacan, in Puebla State … Police found blood, hair and broken glass at the parish house and interviewed witnesses who said young men from many surrounding villages visited the priest in his bedroom and slept there frequently, and
- Aguilar Rivera’s bishop, Norberto Rivera, wrote a letter to Mahony to tell him there had been “several accusations of homosexuality against the priest” that had not been proven, but were believed to be the cause of the attack.
And, according to CNN:
- Cardinal Roger Mahony’s right-hand man alerted the priest [that a complaint was going to be made to law enforcement] – a heads-up that allowed him to flee the country for Mexico, and
- [Mahony told] subordinates to deny a police request for a list of altar boys.
But, church lawyers want the cases dismissed or delayed indefinitely because … well … the media cares and is covering the story. Tens of thousands of lurid sex abuse and cover-up documents have a tendency to do that.
The public has a right to be disgusted and outraged. That’s what happens when people do bad things, cover up their actions, and then figuratively beat-up victims for decades. Let’s hope that Judge Emilie Elias keeps the trial on schedule and in LA. The victims have that right. And the public has the right to know.
Maybe a trial will finally bump Mahony off of the confirmation schedule.
P.S. Aguilar Rivera is still a priest in Mexico …
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