Cardinal Mahony: 244 L.A. Clergy Accused of Abuse | LA Times

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10:27 AM PST, February 17, 2004

Mahony: 244 L.A. Clergy Accused of Abuse

By Larry Stammer, Times Staff Writer

In an unprecedented accounting of church sexual abuse over three-quarters of a century, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony reported today that 244 priests, deacons, brothers and seminarians have been accused of molesting 656 minors in the Los Angeles archdiocese since 1931.

Not all of the allegations are truthful — indeed, the report lists some accusations that have been discredited. But the number of false accusations is outweighed by the number of abuse cases that have never been reported, church officials and victims advocates agreed.

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