In February of 2004 the Archdiocese of Los Angeles issued its special Report to the People of God dealing with accusations of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and other Church employees between the years 1930 and 2003. It would be useful for you to review that Report on the Archdiocesan website: www.la-archdiocese.org.

During these past 18 months, the 12 Arch/Dioceses in California have continued their extensive efforts to reach out to victims and their families with pastoral care and counseling. Pro-active Safeguard the Children Programs have been initiated in our parishes and schools. Also during this time, we have all sought to find fair and just compensation for harm done in past years.

In the past several months, some California Arch/Dioceses have reached settlement agreements with victims of past sexual abuse. The remaining Arch/Dioceses are in various stages of settlement negotiations involving the Courts, plaintiffs, plaintiffs' attorneys, and insurance companies.

As Arch/Dioceses announce settlements or reach jury verdicts in these cases, the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles need to understand where we are in this overall process to settle these lawsuits in a manner that is fair, just and proportionate to the harm done, while not diminishing the Church's ability to offer its full spectrum of spiritual and pastoral services.

As of July 31, 2005, more than 550 lawsuits have been filed against the Archdiocese. The oldest case concerns an allegation of abuse in the year 1931. The Report to the People of God outlines the number of incidents and the number of reports by year. The large number of lawsuits spread over 75 years alone makes it difficult to establish the facts of each case. In many cases, the one being accused is dead; many possible witnesses are dead; there is little or no information in the personnel files of many of the accused; and accurate insurance coverage records prior to 1950 are difficult to obtain.

Nonetheless, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is committed to working through a process under the guidance of a settlement judge to bring a fair and just resolution to every case. All of the cases must be settled or finally resolved; it is of no value to the victims nor to the Archdiocese to settle some cases and yet leave others for further legal processes.

The resolution of all lawsuits pending against the Archdiocese is our goal, and our legal team is fully committed to working with the plaintiffs, the plaintiffs' attorneys, and the insurance companies until a full and fair settlement agreement is reached. We are certain that we have adequate insurance coverage to reach a fair and proportionate settlement with all victims.

Legal settlements, however, are only one part of the entire process. The Archdiocese's pastoral services to victims and survivors remain a high priority for the Church. A financial settlement with a victim does not in itself bring about full healing. For some, spiritual and emotional issues may require continuing pastoral services from the Church and others.

These cases of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy have affected Cardinal Mahony personally and deeply. Over the past several years he has met with many victims and survivors of sexual abuse, and has listened to their stories of betrayal and of grief. The many levels of harm which touched their lives continues to cause him great sadness. How any member of the clergy could so violate their vows by preying upon the most vulnerable in our society cannot be reconciled with discipleship with Jesus Christ nor with ministry to God's people. Such violations of trust are sinful, outrageous and criminal. Our Church and our Archdiocese have taken many positive steps to assure that the Church is a safe place for all, but especially our children and young people.

The question frequently asked is this: "When will all of these cases be finally resolved and settled?" We do not have a certain answer to that question, but all Catholics of the Archdiocese can be assured that our legal team is working diligently and creatively with all parties to bring about a full, comprehensive, and final resolution as early as possible.

As we continue forward with our process of healing and resolution, we shall keep you informed of our progress.

What is needed now is prayer: prayer for all victims, survivors and their families; prayer for all of the various attorneys engaged in the settlement process; prayer for the insurance companies who bear the majority responsibility for full settlement; and prayer for the judges who are guiding our process.

May Our Lady of the Angels continue to guide us forward.