Priest Abuse Cases Expose Priorities

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony now claims that protecting minors is “Job 1” (Feb. 18). Does he think we can’t count? Anyone having passed elementary mathematics knows that his top priority is protecting the financial assets of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, not the children. If protecting children was his first concern, which it should always have been, what happened?

He states that he is opposed to extending the statute of limitations one more year, allowing victims to file lawsuits against the church, because he is concerned about the length of time it would take for victims to receive their settlements. If he thinks these unfortunate victims are in this for the money ... well, of course he does.

And then there’s something about zero tolerance. Thank God it only took them the past 73 years to adopt that. My calculator tells me something’s seriously wrong in the Catholic Church. Maybe they should consider getting a new accountant.

James M. Cain

Long Beach

*

Columnist Steve Lopez’s comments about Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley’s efforts to save Los Angeles from errant priests speak volumes about the financial quagmire that exists in Los Angeles County (Feb. 18). Instead of the district attorneys concentrating their efforts in the areas that could benefit from prosecution -- such as drug sales, domestic violence or weapon use -- they continue to throw money down the drain on expensive prosecutions such as those of O.J., Robert Blake and now the clerical crowd.

Granted, the victims’ families are entitled to redress, but the victims in these mentioned cases have the civil courts. Why must the taxpayers continue to fund these media-fueled circuses? Cooley’s efforts to battle for release of documents when more serious crimes that affect larger segments of the population are left to the back burner show poor judgment. As for Lopez, will he print a retraction when the allegations against any of the priests are dismissed?

Frances L. Martin

Torrance