'Smoke of Satan'

Cardinal Roger Mahony is criticized by name in a report today by the independent committee that looked into the Catholic church sex abuse scandal. The panel calls inaction by U.S. bishops in the face of allegations about abusive priests "grievously sinful...Somehow, the 'smoke of Satan' was allowed to enter the Church, and as a result the Church itself has been deeply wounded."

About Mahony the report says:

"After allegations were made that Cardinal Mahony had allowed numerous predator priests to remain in the ministry, the archdiocese engaged in a very public spat with law enforcement agencies who questioned his level of cooperation in the criminal investigation...

"The archdiocese resisted grand jury subpoenas...by arguing that communications between priests and bishops were privileged. This argument did little to enhance the reputation of the church for transparency and cooperation."

The story is on the LAT website.