LA ARCHBISHOP MAHONY KEPT ALTAR BOY LIST FROM POLICE-DEPOSITION

Abclocal.com
2/19/14


When Los Angeles police were investigating allegations of child abuse by, Nicolas AguilarRivera, a Roman Catholic visiting Mexican priest in 1988, they asked for a list of altar boys atthe last parish where the priest worked.  According to a deposition made public on Wednesday,Mahoney told a subordinate not to give the list, saying he didn't want to scare the boys who knewnothing about the investigation.  Detectives ultimately got the names from parishfamilies.  They determined Aguilar Rivera molested at least 26 boys during his 10 months inLA.  Before police were notified, a member of the clergy told Aguilar Rivera about thecomplaints against him, and he fled and remains a fugitive to this day.  Mahoney's depositionis part of the evidence included in a settlement of abuse claims against Aguilar Rivera and fourother priests.  The archdiocese has agreed to pay $13 million to 17 victims of alleged abusethat dates back to 1988.  The archdiocese has paid more than $700 million to settle clergyabuse lawsuits by hundreds of victims since 2006. 

The $13 million settlement comes after another recent lawsuit filed against thearchdiocese in Saint Didacus Elementary School in Sylmar.  The suit alleges negligence,claiming that the school and church officials did little to protect children from a convicted sexpredator then they allowed a volunteer as a softball coach at the school.  The volunteer,Epifanio Nevarez, is accused of repeatedly molesting a 13 year old girl.
(Downtown Los Angeles, California)