Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
LA Catholics pray for victims as more sex abuse files released

LA Catholics pray for victims as more sex abuse files released

Last updated on: August 2, 2013 at 8:03 am by CNA Daily News

LA Catholics pray for victims as more sex abuse files released 2013-08-02T08:03:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Los Angeles, Calif., Aug 2, 2013 / 02:03 am (CNA).- As the first set of religious orders' files on accused sex abusers in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is released, one leading priest has urged prayer for victims and continued efforts for child protection.

“Please continue to pray for the victims and their families and all impacted by this terrible tragedy in the history of our Church,” said Monsignor Joseph V. Brennan, Moderator of the Curia and Vicar General for the L.A. archdiocese.

“Let us all continue to remain vigilant and work together to protect children and young people from all harm,” he added in an Aug. 1 message to priests, deacons, parish life directors and principals of the archdiocese.

“The archdiocese and our Catholic community of faith in Los Angeles remain committed to the assistance of victims, protection of children and the prevention of abuse.”

The file release is part of the $660 million abuse settlement reached in 2007. The first set of files has documents from five religious orders: the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the Marianists, the Benedictines, and two orders of religious sisters.

The release concerns 10 priests or religious brothers and two nuns, each of whom were accused of molesting children in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The files report 21 alleged victims whose allegations cover incidents ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The files are particularly detailed about Father Ruben Martinez, O.M.I., whose actions prompted eight lawsuits settled in 2007.

The documents show decades of therapy dedicated to trying to cure Martinez of pedophilia. During the therapy, he admitted abusing his younger brother as a child, the Associated Press reports. He said he abused about 100 boys in total.

He worked in parishes in the Los Angeles archdiocese in the 1970s and 1980s, beginning at a small parish in Brawley, Calif. in 1969.

According to the files’ psychological reports, he said he started molesting children in 1970 and stopped “direct sexual contact” with boys after a mother complained to his pastor in 1982. He claimed a 1986 complaint made him stop molesting boys completely .

The files are not clear whether the Oblates or the archdiocese knew of the complaints. Around 1986 he began his therapy sessions and started a counseling program for people with sexual compulsions. He also joined a “gay pride” group and at one point marched in a gay pride parade.

A 50-year-old man who sued over the priest’s abuse, speaking anonymously to the Associated Press, said the priest would have him and other boys wrestle in their underwear, sometimes with the priest, and take pictures of them. The priest would take groups of young boys to see R-rated movies and on group trips.

On one trip the priest stopped with six boys in front of a man’s apartment and took one boy in, leaving the other boys in a hot car for several hours. After the priest and the boy returned, the boy cried for hours.

“A lot of us kind of knew what had happened to him,” the abuse victim told the AP.

The victim’s lawsuit was settled in 2007 but Fr. Martinez was never charged criminally. His abuses were not reported until years afterward.

After treatment in the early 1990s, he was assigned to a small parish in a remote town in southeastern California. However, he would drive miles to San Diego to find male prostitutes.

Fr. Martinez was removed from active ministry in 1993. He is now 72 and lives in Oakland.

In 2003, the priest worked as a switchboard operator in the archive room at the Oblates’ Washington, D.C. offices. He was reprimanded for making sexual jokes, looking at sexually suggestive pictures of young boys, and downloading files on “topics dealing with the gay lifestyle,” the released documents said.

During a 2005 psychiatric assessment, the priest denied any contact with a child in 23 years.

Msgr. Brennan, recognizing the “troubling and upsetting” nature of the files on abuse in religious orders, said that those affected can find help by contacting the archdiocese’s Office of Victims Assistance Ministry.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has set a September deadline for the public release of files on accusations against religious order members in the archdiocese. Other orders involved include the Salesians and Vincentians.

The files are distinct from those of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which released 12,000 pages of abuse-related documents several months ago.

Previous Post

August 2, 2013

Teens pack 100,000 meals for poor in Africa

Next Post

August 2, 2013 Indian migrants in Holy Land prepare for Marian feast

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pilate John the Baptist Peter Nathanael