As you have heard, this past week our Archdiocese settled 508 civil cases involving clergy and lay persons accused of sexual abuse. The emotional pain of the victims of this abuse remains intense, and I invite each of you to join with me in praying for them on their difficult journey toward healing.

I again apologize personally, and on behalf of those who led the church in past decades, to all those who were abused, regardless of how long ago the abuse took place.

As much as we might wish that the past could be reversed and the harm undone, it cannot be. But we can work to ensure that our parish ministries are as safe as we can humanly make them for all of our parishioners, especially our children and young people.

Throughout our Archdiocese, in our parishes and schools, our priests and lay people have worked hard over the past several years to create safe environments for our children. At this important moment in our Local Church's history, as we remember our past failings, it is also appropriate to reflect on what has been accomplished so far:

---There is no priest or lay person currently in ministry in the Archdiocese who has been found to have abused a young person.

---Complaints of abuse are promptly reported to civil authorities.

---A Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board receives complaints of inappropriate conduct and makes recommendations about the disposition of individual cases.

---More than 40,000 priests, teachers, lay employees, coaches and volunteers have been trained in abuse prevention techniques under the Archdiocese's Safeguard the Children program.

---Before being allowed to work alone with children, church employees and volunteers are being fingerprinted and will clear a criminal background check.

---More than 350,000 of our children and youth already have been trained in age-appropriate programs that teach them to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior and how to report inappropriate behavior to a parent or guardian.

For more information on these and other child protection efforts of our Local Church, please visit the various websites of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Again, I invite you to join me in fervent prayer for the healing of all victims of sexual abuse, and for reconciliation across the Archdiocese.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Cardinal Roger Mahony
Archbishop of Los Angeles