Dioceses Won't Perform Background Checks

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Dioceses Won't Perform Background Checks
By Associated Press
1 hour ago

LOS ANGELES - The Roman Catholic dioceses of Los Angeles and Orange County have backed away from a promise to conduct fingerprint background checks on anyone working with children, saying they don't want to lose volunteers who are illegal immigrants.

The dioceses had pledged to do the fingerprint background checks as a way to prevent pedophiles from working with children. But church leaders said the background checks could prevent illegal immigrants from volunteering, since they lack government-issued photo IDs, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Instead, volunteer candidates without photo IDs in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are allowed to give a sworn affidavit stating that they have not been convicted of any crime, officials said. In Orange, they can provide a sworn affidavit and two character reference letters.

They'll be supervised whenever they're working with children, officials said.

"We are doing this because (immigrants) want to participate, they want to serve their church and we want to welcome them," said Orange County Auxiliary Bishop Jaime Soto.

Between the two dioceses, more than 70,000 priests, employees and volunteers have been fingerprinted, church officials said. In Orange, the background checks have resulted in the removal of nine people with violent crime convictions and two others with records of sexual abuse, chancellor Shirl Giacomi said.

Advocates for abuse victims said they were unaware of the policy change and accused the dioceses of placing concern for illegal immigrants above children's safety.

"They are just trying to be too politically correct, even though it means putting the kids at risk," said Rita Milla, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-area Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. "If someone can't prove who they are, they shouldn't be volunteering."

U.S. bishops mandated background checks for priests, deacons, employees and volunteers after the molestation scandal erupted in 2002. The policy, however, does not specify that fingerprint background checks be done, said Teresa Kettelkamp, executive director of the office of child and youth protection of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Instead, volunteer candidates without photo IDs in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are allowed to give a sworn affidavit stating that they have not been convicted of any crime

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:lol: :lol: :lol: ya right I beleive that!!!! Where can I drop my kid off? Are these people insane??? As if they don't already have an issue with this same "problem".

You know, it is SO EASY for these people to violate our laws, and threaten further violations when our president sends their churchs our tax dollars to open Day Labor Centers to facilitate the hiring of illegal aliens.

However, if Bush would simply sign an executive order which forced the true enforcement of our current immigration laws, this foolishness would stop. Put a few Catholic Bishops behind bars, let them face prosecution for their crimes. We have laws which if enforced would severely punish employers. We have laws already on the books that make it a felony to aid and abet these criminals, and it is time these laws are dusted off and USED, rather than abused.

There is GREAT DETERENT VALUE in making/setting examples of those breaking our laws. Arrest a few priests, nuns and congregation members for their crimes, and those who now readily BREAK OUR LAWS will think long and hard before continuing their actions. Seriously go after illegal aliens at the job sites, we know where they are at, our tax dollars are paying the operational costs of far too many of them. Take down a few of the larger companies who are knowing breaking federal laws to fill their factories and meat packing plants with cheap illegal workers, and you'll see the jobs magnet drying up. By executive order, make it illegally to be a SAFE HABOR city for illegals, over night dry up their funding and you will see local police departments becoming far more active in solving the problem of illegals.

If we do not have enough space to house those illegals being detained, then put up a tent city much like we did in the early start of the war with Iraq when we detained over 100,000 enemy combatants.

Don't throw us a FAKE BONE by sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the border with their hands tied behind their back...send in 50,000 troops and DO WHATEVER IT TAKES to SECURE OUR BORDER. I am so tired of the lies and the games being played by this administration, so tired of our nation being given away to special interest and Washington, DC lobbyist.

8O

A serious lack of due dilligence. This is a law suit waiting to happen. :evil: