Did John Urell Lie During his Deposition?
Supporters of Monsignor John Urell, the former chancellor for the Catholic Diocese of Orange who is currently in some Canadian psychological treatment center to treat his anxiety after failing to finish a deposition, argue that their man is being unfairly hounded by lawyers and the press, that his testimony has no bearing on the Jeff Andrade trial for which he's now being subpoenaed. They base their claims on Urell's half-finished July deposition, in which the monsignor testified he was not in charge of receiving allegations of sexual misconduct for diocesan lay people—only clergy.
But Urell's assertions contradict the words of his former boss, retired Bishop Norman McFarland. In an Sept. 8 depo for the Andrade case, McFarland had the following exchange with Newport Beach lawyer John Manly (after the jump):
Manly: Okay. So it was—it was Monsignor Urell's job to deal with these incidents or reports of childhood sex abuse at the diocese during the time you were the bishop?
McFarland: He was my right-hand man in it, yes.
Notice how McFarland does not differentiate between clerical and lay employees of the Orange diocese—Urell was just his "right-hand man."
But McFarland had more to disclose in his deposition. At one point, he pulled out a 1994 document that spelled out the Orange diocese's policy on sexual misconduct, a document Manly would go on to describe as having never been previously publicly disclosed. The critical passage:
"Any person who believes that he or she (or one's child) is or has been a victim of sexual misconduct by any member of the clergy or other employee of the Diocese of Orange should immediately report the allegation to the Diocese. Generally the person to contact is the Chancellor at the Diocesan Office in Marywood Center. The Chancellor will make appropriate arrangements with the party either in person or by telephone to enable the commencement of a factual investigation."
The wiggle word here is "generally." Urell and his supporters could argue that the Andrade incident could've slipped by Urell because it was reported to someone else. But the second sentence makes the previous one a moot point: Regardless of who was contacted, it was up to the Chancellor to get in contact with the person who reported the allegation and help start an investigation. The Chancellor while the Andrade incident happened at Mater Dei? John Urell.
"This is written not just for priests," McFarland told Manly about his sexual misconduct policy. And then the conversation continues:
Manly: That's what I thought. So basically, you are establishing, in writing, a policy that applies to all the diocesan schools, including Mater Dei; correct?
McFarland: Everybody. Yeah, anybody who works for the church.
Manly: And not only are you establishing it as of 1994, you also are codifying what you believe to be an existing policy of the diocese as to diocesan schools?
McFarland: That's—that's true. The first is, yeah.
Manly: Okay. Okay. All right. Now, so this—I can assume that this policy in 1996, when the plaintiff in this action was, um, when Mr. Andrade, the teacher at Mater Dei was having sex with his 15-year-old student, the princ- —the plaintiff in this action, this policy was in effect; is that correct?
McFarland: It should have been.
Manly: Did you—
McFarland: Yeah, it should've—
Manly: Did you—did you distribute this to all entities of the diocese?
McFarland: I presume I did. It was written for it all. I didn't go out and deliver it myself, obviously.
Manly: No. But you directed it would be delivered to all of them?
McFarland: Yeah.
This isn't the first time in the Andrade case that diocesan employees have contradicted each others' explosive stories. And, to be fair, it could very well be that Mater Dei officials never bothered to contact Urell as required by McFarland's 1994 diocesan policy after learning about Andrade's molestation allegation. So, we're left with this: Either Urell is lying about his role in the Andrade case, McFarland is full of it, or Mater Dei officials broke diocesan policy. Either way, what a crazy case, ¿qué no?
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A Priest That Did Not Run To Mexico! says:
How could you tell if Urell was lying on the stand? His lips would be moving. He is not just a liar but he is/was mean to victims that came to him. Two faced mean man that assisted in cover up and assists to this day. Is he guilty of lying by leaving? Yes
I’m sure you don’t teach your children to avoid telling you about a bad grade. Same thing here! But we know the grade already and he tried to disappear. He can’t and won’t and someone will be held for this charade of our justice system.
Posted on Wednesday, Oct. 3 2007 @ 5:07PM
Debby Bodkin says:
Mon. John Urell either knows too much and refuses to lie under oath or the Diocese of Orange General Counsel, Maria Rullo Schinderle, is manipulating the law as she has done for many years, telling Urell it is better to be sick and out of the country than spill the beans.
Someone needs to take responsibility for this mockery of the judicial system. It has continued in OC for years and as long as law enforcement REFUSES to take charge and enforce laws on the politically connected Diocese of Orange, NO CHILD, NO FAMILY, NO EMPLOYEE will ever be safe in this county.
Posted on Wednesday, Oct. 3 2007 @ 7:12PM
Andrzej says:
Keep up the good work, Gustavo! If you weren't reporting this stuff, nobody would be. Tod Brown's army of flunkies, toadies and water-carriers come out in force on some of the blogs to deny and mislead, but I think the truth will out.
Posted on Thursday, Oct. 4 2007 @ 8:57AM
Russ Bianchi says:
For daily vetted global coverage of the ongoing criminal cover up, costing innocent laity BILLIONS upon BILLIONS of Dollars, and no end in sight, and all caused by less that 3,500 red hats and miters, we recommend:
www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker
Criminal enablers like Brown, Rivera, Mahony, Walsh, Steinbock, Weigland, Leveda, Brom, Barnes, George, Egan, a list too long for this entry, all need to be removed from office, canonically censored, like overt pedophile founder of the Legionnaires of Christ, Marciel, and then placed under house arrest FOR LIFE in a remote, cold, dark, hard labor and bad food monastery, or if they refuse, swiftly, and irrevocably, EXCOMMUNICATED!
We also recommend for FREE, watching the 2006 US Academy Award Best Documentary nominated DELIVER US FROM EVIL, on line at www.youtube.com
How can this giant criminal MESS be resolved? By all my fellow, 1.1 billion, global Roman Catholic laity, not donating ANY MONIES for ANY REASON, until these evil miters and red hats are GONE.
Rome pretends to understand little, they DO GET lack of revenue from the richest provider in the world, the USA, and in particular the largest and wealthiest Archdiocese in the USA, Los Angeles.
No Bishop Accoutability?
No Laity Monies!
Russ Bianchi
Lay Member of the Diocese of Montery, CA
Mr. Bianchi is a daily Mass penitent, communion service lay presider, Mass lector and family man. Mr. Bianchi has been a Roman Catholic since birth, 50 years ago. Mr. Bianchi is not a sexual abuse victim, has never met or spoken with a sexual abuse victim of his Church, is not party to any litigation with his Church, and is not a contributor or member of any sexual abuse advocacy organizations or causes. Mr. Bianchi has close family members, and friends that are vocationed, ordained, secular, ordered, monastic, cloistered, scholastic, and yes, even Curial, in The Holy See.
Posted on Thursday, Oct. 4 2007 @ 3:23PM