When Los Angeles police were investigating allegations of child abuse by a Roman Catholic priest in 1988, they asked for a list of altar boys at the last parish where the priest worked.

“Archbishop Roger Mahony told a subordinate not to give the list, saying he didn’t want the boys to be scarred by the investigation and that he felt the altar boys were too old to be potential victims, according to a February 2013 deposition made public Wednesday (Feb. 19).

“The detectives investigating allegations against Nicolas Aguilar Rivera, a visiting Mexican priest, ultimately got the names of the boys from parish families. They determined the priest molested at least 26 boys during his 10 months in Los Angeles, according to the priest’s confidential archdiocese file and police records made public by attorneys for the victims.”

By Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press — Click here to read the rest of this story.

Also see “L.A. Archdiocese Settles Final Priest Abuse Case for $13 Million” by Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times. According to the Los Angeles Times, the setttlement ends a decade of abuse litigation that cost the Catholic Church more than $740 million.