For Immediate Release:
October 1, 2007

For More Information:
Eric Barragan, SNAP Mexico Director (805) 207-7424 – US Cell (bilingual/Spanish)
David Clohessy, SNAP National Director (314) 566-9790 cell, (314) 645-5915 home
Mary Grant, SNAP Western Regional Director (626) 419-2930 cell (English only)
Barbara Dorris, SNAP Outreach Director (314) 862-7688

Recent Depositions of Two Top Catholic Cardinals Are Released

Powerful Heads of LA & Mexico City Archdioceses Are Probed About Abuser

In Rare Move, They Blame Each Other For A 2nd, Allegedly Missing ‘Warning’ Letter

Today, 300+ Pages of Previously Secret Church Records Are Posted On Web Site

Mahony Blasts His Foreign Colleagues for Not Doing More To Stop Pedophile Priest

Yet 94 Times, LA Cardinal Refuses To Answer Questions By Victim’s Lawyer

And Mexico City Cardinal Admits Never Restricting Predator or Warning His Flock

WHAT

At a sidewalk news conference, clergy molestation victims will make public
-- the unprecedented, weeks-old, 100 page depositions of two of the world’s top Catholic Cardinals, and
-- 300 pages of other, previously-secret church documents about a fugitive pedophile priest.

The documents show
-- that the two top church officials are contradicting and blaming one another about a second allegedly missing letter concerning the predator, and
-- that an LA auxiliary bishop admitted under oath that he delayed reporting allegations against the predator to police for several days, knowing that the priest would flee to Mexico.

The victims will ask that LA bishop to resign.

WHEN

TODAY, Monday, October 1, 1:30 p.m.

WHERE

Outside of Our Lady of The Angels Cathedral, 555 W. Temple (corner of Hill) in Los Angeles

WHO

Several victims of clergy sexual abuse who are also leaders of a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY

Roughly 500 pages of church records about a notorious pedophile priest, Fr. Nicholas Aguilar, are being disclosed. Among them are 200 pages of depositions of LA’s Cardinal Roger Mahony and Bishop Thomas Curry (taken last month) and of Mexico City’s Cardinal Norberto Rivera and Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar (taken in August).

In 1987, then-Bishop Norberto Rivera of Tehuacan, Mexico sent Aguilar to work in the Los Angeles archdiocese. Rivera, now head of the world’s largest Catholic archdiocese, denies ever authorizing Aguilar to work in LA. Both he and Mahony blame each other for Aguilar’s suspected abuse of dozens of boys in both countries. For the first time, these newly-obtained records show the two Cardinals blaming each other for two separate warning letters that were supposedly sent to church officials but never arrived.

The documents include Curry’s deposition. For the first time, he admits under oath that he knew Aguilar would flee the US to Mexico, and admits he delayed before calling police, which enabled Aguilar’s escape.

The records were obtained as part of a civil child molestation lawsuit by Joaquin Aguilar (no relation to Fr. Aguilar). Joaquin was raped because church officials moved Fr. Aguilar from country to country. Fr. Aguilar has not been defrocked and is still at large in Mexico even though arrest warrants against him have been issued in both countries.

In one new document, a police officer declares that “when interviewing (Los Angeles church staff), I formed the impression that the Archdiocese intentionally delayed the report of the child sexual abuse allegations as a means of assisting Father Aguilar in avoiding criminal prosecution.”

The victim is represented by attorney Jeff Anderson (612 817 8665 cell) and Mike Finnegan of St. Paul (612 205 5531) and Rob Waters and Larry Drivon (209 969 0982) of Stockton, CA.

Some of the records will be posted on at SNAPnetwork.org on Monday.