Below is the most recent letter in both English and Spanish from Archbishop Jose H. Gomez that we want to share with you regarding the allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church and the continued commitment of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to transparency.
message from reverend monsignor albert bahhuth, vicar general
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Out of concern for victim-survivors of abuse and in our continued commitment to transparency, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles today will publish an update to the 2004 Report to the People of God which lists of names of either publicly or credibly accused priests of misconduct with minors. Click here to access the report: protect.la-archdiocese.org. The 2018 update includes names of priests that have been credibly accused since 2008, when the last update of the 2004 Report to the People of God was issued.
Since the early 2000s and even before that, the Archdiocese has had in place a system for reporting and investigating suspected abuse by priests and for removing offenders from ministry. We have also established an extensive program of education and background checks to make sure our children are safe and cared for.
We’ve created a one-page flyer outlining the policies and programs in place to ensure the protection of young people, support of victim-survivors of abuse and reporting of abuse in the church. The flyer is in English and Spanish and includes highlights of the Safeguard the Children program, how to report abuse, protocol for handling of allegations, efforts of the Office of Victims Assistance and the Zero Tolerance Policy of the Archdiocese.
I would also like to inform you that the Archdiocese received results of the recent USCCB Safe Environment Compliance Audit and was found compliant with all audited Articles within the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for the 2017/2018 audit period.
Let us continue to pray for all victim-survivors and for our community of faith as we continue our efforts to protect our children and young people and prevent abuse in our Church.