The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has voluntarily released summaries of information contained in the personnel files of priests who have been accused of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits. The summaries, along with an update to the list of priests accused of abuse that was first published in the February 2004 Report to the People of God, were posted on the Archdiocese's website: www.la-archdiocese.org .

"The publication of these summaries and the updated list of accused priests is a reflection of the Archdiocese's commitment to openness with the public regarding what has been a very painful chapter in our church's history," said Tod Tamberg, director of media relations for the archdiocese. "It is the hope of Cardinal Mahony that this further sharing of information will help the healing process for all involved, particularly the victims of abuse."

Tamberg said the update also reports that in the last 16 months, 26,000 people in the archdiocese who work with children have been trained in abuse prevention through the archdiocese's Safeguard the Children program. "Together with our ongoing process of conducting background checks on employees and volunteers who have contact with children, these efforts underscore the archdiocese's commitment to ensuring that all of our ministries remain safe for all of our people," he said.