Lawsuit alert is heard at Mass

Area Catholics have mixed reactions as bishops predict flood of sex-abuse claims.

By Jennifer Garza -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Sunday, December 8, 2002

Margie Gutierrez, like many around the state, seemed caught in the middle after hearing a letter from the Catholic bishops: The already staggering church was expecting another rush of lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by priests.

"The church doesn't have the money? I find that hard to believe," Gutierrez said Saturday after Mass at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

But she also thinks people have the right to sue, even if they were abused decades ago. "If people were abused 20 years ago, why shouldn't they be allowed to sue? What difference does that make?"

The bishops are responding to a new law, which goes into effect in January, that will waive the statute of limitations in cases involving sexual abuse for one year. People whose lawsuits were previously dismissed will also be allowed to refile.

"We anticipate that new lawsuits, some involving very old allegations, will be filed against dioceses in California," the bishops wrote.

The one-page letter addressed, "Dear brothers and sisters," will be read at all 98 parishes in the Sacramento Diocese this weekend.

"This is a difficult time for the church. We need to continue to pray for the church as well as for the victims of sexual abuse," said the Rev. James Murphy, rector of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, after the letter was read by a church member.

"Some of the lawsuits may involve the revival of already settled cases and some may involve alleged perpetrators and witnesses long since dead," the letter had warned.

The bishops say the church has been falsely portrayed as a large corporation "with deep pockets." And they pointed out that the "the vast majority of Catholic assests belong to the people of our parishes, schools, charities, and other institutions."

Some in the parish Saturday agreed with the bishops, saying it was time for church officials to fight back. Others question some of the statements.

Norman Gladwell had a different response.

He agrees that people have a right to take the church to court, but he's concerned how the dioceses will pay for these suits.

"The money has to come from somewhere and I'm afraid it's going to come out of services that help the poor."

The bishop's letter also drew a strong reaction from one of the attorneys who helped draft the law.

"This is a blatant attempt to blame the victim and their attempts to get recovery for what happened," said Stockton attorney Laurence E. Drivon, who has won millions of dollars in sex-abuse claims against the church.

But Penelope Harrison, a parishioner at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, said she liked what she heard in the letter.

"I think there are some people out there who will take advantage of the church ... and I think that's what the bishops were saying."

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