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Released diocese records paint permissive atmosphere for potential abuse in Monterey

By Richard Binder

Records released by the Diocese of Monterey paint a damning picture of an era that church officials say has since ended, revealing a flawed system that led to the repeated sexual abuse of at least two children, an 11-year-old altar boy and his younger brother.

More than 100 documents and dozens of depositions, containing well over 1,000 pages of testimony by church leaders and others, were released this month by attorneys John Manly and Rebecca Rhoades of Newport Beach.

Diocese spokesman Warren Hoy said all diocese personnel who work with children ? from priests to volunteers ? must undergo background checks. Priests and deacons also undergo a psychological examination. But those policies were not put into place until 2002, after the clergy-abuse scandal prompted a national conference of bishops which mandated the new rules. And the recently released records show those procedures have not always been followed rigorously in Monterey.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 20, 2009 (boomark / email).