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CNN Live Saturday

L.A. Cardinal Roger Mahoney Denies Allegations of Sexual Abuse

Aired April 06, 2002 - 13:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The leader of the nation's largest Catholic archdiocese is strongly denying an allegation that he sexually molested a high school student back in 1970. Cardinal Roger Mahoney of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, which includes five million Catholics, made the allegation public last night, but he called it false. Here's CNN National Correspondent Frank Buckley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In an indication of how sensitive Catholic church officials have become about dealing with every allegation against the church, the head of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, late Friday night responded to an allegation of sexual molestation against him, allegedly occurring in 1970, when he was a priest in Fresno, California, allegations from this woman who asked not to be identified, who herself told a reporter from a Fresno TV station that she was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone had knocked me in the back of the head and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) part of my clothing was moved and Monsignor Mahoney was standing there, not standing, but over me like and I didn't see anyone else but when I opened my eyes he screamed and got up and two guys came. They asked what was going on. Like I say, I can't remember what happened after that.

BUCKLEY: Cardinal Mahoney said in his statement that church officials interviewed the woman after she came forward, and they turned over the transcript of the interview to police. Fresno police won't comment on the matter to CNN.

The cardinal also said he had no memory of ever meeting the woman. "And I categorically denied every having molested anyone, either before or after my ordination as a priest and as a bishop."

Mahoney said he learned of the allegation from the Bishop of Fresno two weeks ago and immediately reported it to police, asking detectives to investigate, as the diocese conducted its own investigation.

"My personal integrity and reputation demand" Mahoney said, "that I take all possible steps to refute this false allegation."

The cardinal's response came after private e-mails from Cardinal Mahoney and other church officials were made public by Los Angeles Radio Station KFI.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's the interesting part. As to the interview, remember Sergeant Joe Friday, only the facts sir, only the facts?

BUCKLEY: The e-mails mentioned the woman's name and the church's investigation of her claim. Separately, they also detail an internal dialog among Mahoney, his attorneys and other church officials, over how to publicly deal with the scandal over sexual abuse committed by some priests.

In one such e-mail, Mahoney urges: "If we don't take immediate, aggressive action here, the consequences for the AD are going to be incredible. Charges of cover-up, concealing criminals, et cetera, et cetera."

Mahoney has been criticized by some for not publicly releasing the numbers or names of the priests dismissed for sexual molestation. Recently, he called a scandal involving some priests a cancer.

CARDINAL MAHONEY: I can hardly wait for this to be over, but it will only be over when the last bit of the cancer is out of the body.

BUCKLEY: Mahoney said in his statement that he is hopeful that investigators will quickly complete and make public their findings of the investigation into this woman's claim about him, saying false allegations are hurtful and troubling, but he will pray for those who make them. Frank Buckley, CNN, Los Angeles.

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