Catholic san Francisco
Grace, a CRS health worker, is on staff at the Lebone refugee camp in Southern Sudan.
(PHOTOS BY CRS)
Serving San Francisco, Marin and the Peninsula
Children at a Catholic Relief Services agricultural demonstration site in Northern Uganda. Story on page 12.
State’s Bishops support challenge to constitutionality of statute law By Jack Smith California’s Catholic Bishops issued a statement this week endorsing a challenge by the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to a California law eliminating the time limit on seeking civil damages in decades-old sexual abuse cases. The bishops claim the 2002 law, Senate Bill 1779 sponsored by Senator John Burton (D-San Francisco, violates the ex post facto, due process and bill of attainder clauses of the U.S. Constitution. The California Legislature passed SB 1779 in June 2002 and Gov. Gray Davis signed the bill into law later that year. For a period of one year, beginning
January 1, 2003, plaintiffs could file civil claims in sexual abuse cases regardless of the age of the alleged offense, whether the claim had already been settled, or whether the claim was previously barred by statute of limitations.
Bishops’ Statement . . . . . .PAGE 14 By the close of 2003 nearly 800 previously barred civil actions were filed; nearly 500 such cases against the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Cases involve allegations of abuse dating as far back as 70 years. One-third of the cases in Los Angeles involve allegations against 68 priests who are deceased.
The challenge to the constitutionality of the law concerns a case filed in California against Davenport priest Father James Jannsen and the Diocese of Davenport. In 2003, an unnamed plaintiff filed suit in California accusing the Iowa priest of abusing him nearly 30 years ago during a trip to California. The Davenport Diocese was granted the right May 25 to have the case heard in Federal Court, instead of a California State court, where the diocese will challenge the constitutionality of SB 1779. Susan Oliver, an attorney representing the Davenport Diocese said, “This case gives us an avenue STATUTE LAW, page 21
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Portland bankruptcy . . . . . . 3 News-in-brief. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Clergy study days . . . . . . . . 6 Public schools abuse . . . . . . . 7 Columnists . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
This Catholic Life
Stuart Hall’s first graduating class
Feast of the Chinese Martyrs
Archbishop’s column . . . . . . 17
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www.catholic-sf.org
July 16, 2004
FIFTY CENTS
Datebook & Review . . . . 18-19 VOLUME 6
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No. 23