Report: Grand jury probes LA cardinal over molestation cover-up

Jan 29, 2009, 20:39 GMT

Los Angeles - A federal grand jury is investigating Cardinal Roger Mahony, the top Catholic official in Los Angeles, in connection with his response to the molestation of children by Catholic priests over several decades.

According to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, the probe is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, failed to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children.

The investigation follows numerous allegations that Mahony covered up the sexual misconduct of priests and transferred them to other parishes rather than removing them from the priesthood and alerting authorities.

However the report quoted church lawyer J Michael Hennigan as saying that Mahony is not a target of the inquiry. 'We have been and will continue to be fully cooperative with the investigation,' Hennigan said.

District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons added that prosecutors are continuing to look for evidence of molestation by priests and former priests but that charges against Mahony are 'highly doubtful.'

The Los Angeles archdiocese agreed to pay 660 million dollars in 2007 to 508 people who had accused priests of sexual abuse. The payout was the largest settlement in a scandal that has involved an estimated 5,000 priests across the United States and cost the Roman Catholic Church more than 2 billion dollars to resolve.