Cardinal paid US$10 million in sexual abuse cases.
American Roger Mahony, who is participating in the conclave to elect the new pope, is accused of protecting a priest who confessed to sexually abusing children from police investigations; the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has already paid more than US$700 million in settlements to approximately 550 victims of abuse committed with the cardinal turning a blind eye.
247 Among the 115 cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the new pope is American Roger Mahony, who has been involved in sexual abuse scandals. He and a former priest agreed to pay nearly US$10 million in an out-of-court settlement related to four cases involving minors. According to information published by Globo, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has already paid more than US$700 million to approximately 550 victims of abuse, apparently with the cardinal's tacit approval.
According to the accusation, Mahony sent the priest, who had confessed to sexually abusing a child, for treatment outside the state of California, protecting him from police investigations. Upon his return, the confessed abuser resumed his actions.
Since 1992, when sexual abuse scandals began in the U.S. Catholic Church, billions of dollars have been spent on settlements, leading numerous dioceses to bankruptcy.