The settlement/negotiations crawl forward…Diogenes unpacks the meaning of the latest. The basic deal is that there are 560 outstanding claims against the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has agreed to allow litigation (as opposed to out of court settlement) of 44 of these – all occurring from 1958 to 1985, the first year of Cardinal Mahony’s tenure in LA.  Even the LA Times allows some criticism of the Cardinal to peek through – the article wasn’t written by Larry Stammer, though, so perhaps that explains it.

Victim advocates accused Mahony of selectively settling cases to protect his reputation. The proposed deal would cover priests whose alleged acts of abuse occurred after 1985, the year Mahony became Los Angeles archbishop. It could put $1 million or more into the hands of the prosecution’s key witness against retired priest Michael Wempe, whose lawyers have admitted that he molested 13 boys decades ago.

Responding to abuse complaints, Mahony sent Wempe to therapy and then assigned him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he allegedly molested another child. Wempe, whose trial is scheduled to begin in two weeks, denies that charge.

"The latest proposal is a weak attempt for Mahony to cover himself for repeatedly looking the other way when abuse occurred," said Julio Gavotti, one of the plaintiffs whose cases are not part of the proposed settlement.

Hennigan called the accusation "nonsense," adding that the insurance companies quit writing policies that covered sexual abuse of minors in 1986.