Los Angeles, Calif., Feb 2, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Cardinal Roger Mahony and the lawsuit-wracked Archdiocese of Los Angeles have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule a series of lower court decisions, and protect the Archdiocese’s constitutional right to keep priest files confidential.
Fourteen files from Archdiocesan priests accused of sexual abuse are in question, all of which, the Church argues, the courts should not have access to.
It’s the latest step for the Church in Los Angeles fighting to block a subpoena from L.A. district attorney Steve Cooley, who wants to use the private files--some of which contain private penitential conversations--as legal testimony.
In a Los Angeles Times editorial, Erik Berkowitz, a LA writer and lawyer, said that while the Archdiocese is fighting an uphill battle, a loss mean be “a step backward” for justice.