Jesus is really not sure whether Mahony got his ass kicked or not. If he did its wrong, if he's making it up for sympathy then the media should kick his ass. Will Swaim I am proud of you my son. It is important somebody questions Mahony's story about the ass kicking. You are doing my father's work. By the way my mom really likes your style.

Just got this email from reader Gabe Azzaro:


I found your article most interesting about Cardinal Mahony being attacked by a man who was "enraged" by Mahony's behavior during the sexual abuse trials. I almost feel guilty saying this, but there is a huge amount of doubt in my mind that this incident actually took place. It is difficult to admit that I cannot believe the word of a cardinal, but Mahony certainly has not proved himself to be trustworthy. In addition, he is a man who treated sexual abuse victims with such coldness and deceit that it is hard to believe that he would learn, as he said, the depth of our suffering from his experience. I really would like to believe him, but it just seems strange that he said nothing for all this time (when we could have actually seen some bruises, maybe?) but now that the archdiocese is back in the news because of the settlements he is announcing it. What would have been his purpose for not reporting this, and for "suffering in silence" except to elicit the public's sympathy, and to, once again, say that he is the good guy and those who have been sexually abused by priests or who support them are the bad guys. It just seems like another of his carefully crafted public relations ploys. Even the picture used with the articles shows him as a sympathetic man, and he was anything but that during these public trials and before that, even, in his private meetings with victims, and in his previous court appearances. (Watch the movie, "Deliver Us From Evil" and see his actions in that trial!) It would seem as if he is making himself the one to be believed and to receive our sympathy instead of the victims. Believe me, I don't condone violence in any form, and I would never say that Mahony deserved this, but I cannot feel sorry for him There is something to believing that "what goes around comes around," if his story is true.

No matter what, though, Mahony will have to answer for his actions to his God at some point. He'll certainly need our sympathy then!

Downey:

I suppose you could argue that the cardinal didn't make the allegation public--that, after all, is precisely what his paid mouthpiece claims. So you've got that going for you. Which is nice. But if you wanted to keep something quiet and asked me for advice, I'd tell you not to announce that something in a speech to a group of "hundreds," no matter how confidential you felt that group likely to be.

And weirdness piled atop weirdness: why did the several priests who spoke to the Daily News not understand (as you seem to understand) that the cardinal's story of personal pain was for their ears only? Did the cardinal fail to explain that the meeting was confidential? If he did tell them to keep their traps shut, did the priests--bound in other circumstances to maintain confidentiality--spill the story anyway?

Or is it at least conceivable that--on the very day the archdiocese was funding its settlement with abuse victims--the cardinal (who has shown a taste for public relations tactics) tried to bump from the front pages what could have been a top news story: "Archdiocese pays out hundreds of millions to victims of priestly abuse"?

Mahony in no way can understand the pain felt by a victim. I am a priest AND victim. For over 30 years I ministered to a church that ignored my plight when it happened. After experiencing a flash back in the fall of 2001 I contacted Cardinal Law "to bring it back to Boston." First it took 5 months to meet with him. And what a heartless, cold, sterile response I received. All of the hierarchy are the same -- cold, sterile and heartless. A ittle shouting at you, Roger, is not the same as a priest robbing you of your spirit, your innocense, your spiritual being -- all for his own depraved needs. If you TRULY felt SOME pain you would release the names of all accused priests, stop stonewalling victims with long, drawnout court antics etc. In other words, a victim MAY believe you if you start showing that you are HUMAN.

Good grief. Surely the Cardinal has made some terrible mistakes, and he has admitted doing so. But to imply that he made up something like this is ridiculous.

There's also an error in the story: "Mahony waited months to make public the allegation." Mahony has never made the allegation public! He told the story in a private meeting with priests, and some of these priests at the meeting have relayed it.

Cardinal Mahony is a liar.