I recently tangled with Rancho Santiago Community College District Board President John Hanna, over their incredible waste of our tax money on the “Carona Sheriff Training Facility.” That was bad enough, but now OC Weekly writer Gustavo Arellano has revealed that Hanna is also supporting Msgr. John Urell, the guy that covered up so many child molestations here in Orange County, while letting his molester priests and laypersons off the hook.
Hanna is not the only one. He is joined by Red County/OC Blog editor Matt Cunningham and others who signed on to a full page advertisement defending Urell.
Arellano also quoted Hanna as saying that “We are deeply saddened by the cases of sexual misconduct that have come to light over the years and we continue to pray for the healing of all those involved. However, it is fundamental to Catholic teaching that we forgive and minister to those who are suffering and in pain.”
Really? Arellano reported that “none of Urell’s supporters” went up to sex-abuse survivors Christina Ruiz and Sarah Gray to offer condolences, when they were in the courtroom the other day. Hanna and Cunningham were there and they just walked away. Unbelievable!
Obviously the church matters more to these Urell defenders than doing the right thing. And the Bible is very clear about hurting children: “Jesus said, “it is more beneficial for him to have hung around his neck a millstone such as is turned by an ass and to be sunk in the wide, open sea.”
So there you have it. If it were up to Jesus, Urell would have his feet put in concrete and he would be tossed in the sea.
Art: In all fairness, I’m not sure if Jubal is part of this group, as he’s not mentioned. But Matt hasn’t shied away from stating he’ll defend his pastor, damn the charges.
Art,
In all fairness to John Hanna, I don’t see it as defending as much as I see it as commenting.
He states that he is saddened and mentions ministering to those who are suffering and in pain.
I hope he also remembers to save time and energy for those who have been affected by this horrible crime.
I wish emotional healing for those affected by these horiffic acts.
This is less a Catholic P.R. campaign, nothing more and nothing less. Damage control to keep those coins in the offering plate! Why don’t they sell a painting or two or some real estate instead of billing the priests and people in the pews like they are doing in San Diego?
Art: In all fairness, I’m not sure if Jubal is part of this group, as he’s not mentioned.
Fairness for a change, eh?
But I am a member of Friends of Monsignor Urell, and proudly so.
So there you have it. If it were up to Jesus, Urell would have his feet put in concrete and he would be tossed in the sea.
Art, you can’t even read. That’s not what Jesus says in that quote — not even from a literalist perspective.
Maybe you missed the part about Christ forgiving his killers even as He was dying on the Cross for our sins.
Then again, you’d probably have been more comfortable throwing a rock at the adultress and chastising Jesus for ignoring what the Torah said about punishing adultery.
OC Weekly writer Gustavo Arellano has revealed…
“Revealed?”
Aren’t you over-selling a wee bit, Art? We sent out a press release listing John as a contact and quoting John. Where do you think Gustavo got the quotes for his blog post?
“Fairness for a change…” please, Matt. As they say: it’s all in the writing–in Urell’s own handwriting from time to time, even.
One interesting point (and now, this conversation spans the blogs and is proof we’re both total geeks): in our blog, you claimed you didn’t attend the victims’ press conference on Monday because you were “never notified about it nor invited.” Now, I find out you had a press release announcing the formation of your group. I never got it–why? Sounds just like the time the Orange diocese announced the Covenant with the Faithful, yet strangely forgot to alert Steve Greenhut and I.
Matt,
Please, lets leave the “Jubal” ID in the waste bin. When this is all over I want folks to remember that MATT CUNNINGHAM was the one standing by the molesters.
Are you equating adultery with molestation? That is just plain nuts!
As for Jesus, he did not turn the other cheek when he threw the money changers out of the temple, did he?
As for Urell, if he was sorry, that would be one thing, but he has FLED THE COUNTRY rather than tell us the rest of what happened. What a major league creep!
Whatever. If you want to attach your name to Urell, be my guest.
I thought the GOP was the party of family values?
Perhpas the Catholic dogma stresses the importance of forgiving because there are so many internal misdeeds to forgive that such an emphasis makes it o.k. in the minds of the sickos who wrap themselves in the cloak of Catholicism while they go about harming others, or knowingly allowing others in positions of authority within the church and its institutions to perpetrate harm. A full circle dogma. As for me, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice – better watch out. Thank goodness some of the victims spoke out when County Supervisor Bill Campbell wanted to further empower this man by appointing him to the County Human Relations Commission!!
Matt —
You can nickpick every single word choice but it would be illuminating to have Msgr Urell complete his deposition.
Let’s separate the Church from Law for a moment. We need to stop looking at MsgrUrell as a man of God and look at him as a man. Did he know of criminal activity taking place and do nothing about it? I don’t have an answer.
Bt I think its high time that law enforcement starts treating certain members of the church as men under the law instead of men of the cloth.
Art,
There you go again. What does it take to get you to pick up a phone and see what happened before you take off on them?
As I commented on Gustavo’s blog, I didn’t feel the media circus was the time and place for me to express my feeling of condolences to the two women who were victimized. Maybe I was wrong in not going up to them but I don’t think so. I have written them in care of their attorney but the content of those letters is private.
Let me make something clear—the Friends of Msgr. John Urell has no affiliation with the Diocese. I am no apologist for the way the Diocese–including my friend Urell–handled the cases of priests abusing children. Speaking for myself, I don’t approve of some of the litigation tactics used by the Diocese and think the latest Diocese strategy on the contempt charge is yet another self-inflicted wound.I should note that I don’t believe Urell had anything to do with the four cases that were settled yesterday although I understand why the plaintiff’s lawyers wanted to question him.
This group of friends, family and parishioners past and present is not about denying the very real injuries and insults that the victims received in this case and cases in the past. It is not about denying that the Diocese–including Urell– may have made terrible mistakes and mishandled prior cases involving priests and victims. The group is about providing Urell emotional and spiritual support. I’ve been a friend of Urell’s for decades and won’t walk away from him during this time no matter how politically incorrect that might be.
And by the way, Matt is right–you’ve misinterpreted Scripture.
Gustavo–I was informed you would get the press release. I apologize. You would be a logical person to get it since you’ve written so much about it. If the group still wants me being one of the spokespersons after today I will personally make sure you get any future releases.
John and Matt,
I suppose if a molester was repentant, that would be one thing, but from what I can tell a lot of the Catholic molesters are anything but repentant…they are serial molesters.
And the obfuscators who covered up the sins of the molesters are just as bad.
You guys can be friends with Urell if you want. I try to be more discerning when it comes to making friends.
Finally, we can debate the scripture all you want, but what kind of God is OK with his so-called priests molesting children? That is not the God that I know. It sounds like something from a pagan culture. It is hard to believe that Christianity has come to this.
When this is all over I want folks to remember that MATT CUNNINGHAM was the one standing by the molesters.
Now, wait a minute. Urell has been accused of many things, but I don’t recall even an allegation that he was one of the molesters. He may have been part of a coverup, and/or he may not have dealt appropriately and sympathetically with the victims, but to say or imply that he was a perpetrator is just wrong.
Gila,
Perhaps Art should have stated that MATT CUNNINGHAM is the one standing with the molesters ENABLERS.
The way I see it that is just as bad.
Gila,
Sean is right. I don’t differentiate between the molesters and their enablers. Indeed, were it not for the enablers, less children would have been molested.
The only thing Urell and Brown should have done when they found out about the molestations was CALL THE POLICE! And have the creeps arrested.
BTW, I thought liberals stood for the downtrodden, the poor and the innocent? I am at a loss as to why you and Hanna would run interference for Matt, or for Urell for that matter.
I am against the death penalty, but IMHO molesters should get LIFE in prison, after ONE count. And throw away the keys.
The victims of the Santa Rosa diocease sex abuse scandal (which predated but in indirect ways spawned much of the OC Diocease’s current scandal) called it:
“Dancing with the machine”
Thats just what happened here, and continues to happen, dragging out defenders of the indefensible.
This is truly pitiful.
John — with all respect to you and Matt, Art has a point. Those who enable molesters or protect them from the law are as loathsome as the molesters themselves. And I think charges of sexual abuse by priests or those close to the Catholic Church should be investigated like any other alleged sex crime — through the police department. Why Cardinal Law and Cardinal Mahoney are not in jail, I will never know. Does Bishop Brown fall in this category? Perhaps a comprehensive investigation can bear this out.
Art, I will ping you on one thing; sex crimes are not politics; they are crimes of violence and intimidation. Compassion is bi-partisan or non-partisan. Our concern should be for the victims here. But after this, I can’t see anyone taking “The Convenant with the Faithful” seriously.
Now, I find out you had a press release announcing the formation of your group.
Sorry about that. Someone else in the group drafted and distributed the press release. I got some hard copies that morning and assumed you had been on the distribution list.
Maybe you didn’t see me handing it to the Daily Journal reporter sitting a couple of seats down from you.
But it’s not like we’re keeping the group a secret.
Dan,
Ordinarily you would be right. But the presence of POLITICIANS in this case blurs the line. What do Tom Fuentes, John Hanna, Bill Campbell and Matt Cunningham have in common? They are all involved in politics and they all back Urell.
Backing men who allowed little children to be molested apparently IS bipartisan. And we ought to be concerned when our politicians spend so much time and effort running interference for Urell. He fled this country without finishing his depo. I hope he ends up in the slammer – for a long time.
I do agree that our concern should be for the victims, but our INDIGNATION and RETRIBUTION should be unleashed on the molesters and their enablers.
Urell and Brown will eventually die. But the crimes visited on so many children will be with us for years and years. This entire situation is an abomination.
Art the Self-Righteous and his army of straw men and non sequiturs are at it again. This is what I meant when I said sometime ago that when arguing with Art, one might as well be arguing with a cat — except the cat might understand something once in a while.
Matt,
You mean the way Urell and Brown kept so many secrets?
You and your fellow Urell backers ought to be ashamed of yourselves. I am just disgusted that ANYONE would want to defend this guy.
He needs to return to the U.S. and finish his deposition. And I hope he ends up doing time.
Matt,
It is obvious when you have LOST a debate, because you start to belittle your opponents. I am not stupid. I understand why you are backing Urell. And I am sickened by it.
The guy allowed molesters to continue to molest. He should have turned them over to the cops. But he did not. For that he must answer…but he ran away to Canada.
What is your problem Matt? Perhaps you are the stupid one. I simply cannot understand why anyone would run interference for Urell. It is absolutely beyond me.
Think about this Matt. There will be a HUGE section in Hell devoted to Catholic priests and laypeople who were molesters. The very people Urell enabled by NOT turning them in to face justice for their crimes. That thought should give you pause. If you had a conscience that is.
I am at a loss as to why you and Hanna would run interference for Matt, or for Urell for that matter.
I’m running interference for someone? That’s quite a leap of logic, Art. All I said is that Urell was not a molester. Now, some of the folks here may think what he did was just as bad as molesting, and that’s certainly their right. But the fact remains that he has never been accused of being one of the molesters.
Gila,
Innocent people don’t run away from their depositions.
Innocent people don’t run away from their depositions.
I never even said Urell was innocent! Would you please stop putting words into my mouth? All I said was that Urell has never, to my knowledge, been accused of being one of the molesters.
I guess I’m old-fashioned, but I believe one strengthens one’s argument by stating and discussing facts, not by throwing around baseless accusations or by using imprecise language.
The way things are going here I expect to read soon that I’m one of the molesters myself.
For the record, I know a number of women who were victims of the types of abuse described in the latest OC court cases. In some instances I also know their parents, and in one I know some of the authority figures who mishandled the situation when it was reported to them. (FWIW, none of these instances involved the Catholic Church.) I have no sympathy whatsoever for those people in authority who fail to take appropriate action when molestation, or possible molestation, is reported to them. Depending on the situation I think their inaction may indeed be worse than the actions of the molesters. But I draw the line at calling such people molesters themselves.
Gila,
If you go back to my story, I wrote “Hanna is also supporting Msgr. John Urell, the guy that covered up so many child molestations here in Orange County, while letting his molester priests and laypersons off the hook.”
The fact is, Hanna erred when he got involved with this “Urell is a Swell Guy” committee. And Cunningham, by his own admission, is also a card-carrying Urell choir boy.
The fact that you KNOW people who have been abused in this fashion should lead you to the same conclusion I reached. Urell is a creep. His actions INCREASED the number of children who were molested. He could have STOPPED the molestations, but he DIDN’T.
I am disgusted that ANY politicians are involved in the Urell fan club. And I am disappointed that Hanna would do such a thing.
The only thing that Hanna, who is a lawyer, ought to be doing is calling for Urell to return from Canada to face the music. Hanna knows better than to support a guy who has RUN AWAY rather than face justice.
Dear Art,
How about a Who is Matt Cungingham/Jubal post? Judging from what I have read he seems to have a lot of political juice and is the strongest defender of all things Catholic that I have seen in Orange County since Tom Fuentes dropped out of sight. I bet some of your readers may know something about Matt and his background that will help us understand where he is coming from.
Poster 26,
Interesting. I am not sure there will be much to report. He is just another hack GOP consultant. IMHO, he thinks he is more important than he really is.
You know, after all this time, he STILL is sending his readers to Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s website when they try to link to the Orange Juice from his blog. What a dork! As if we need his referrals. The guy is an immature, overly sensitive “chillon.”
And it is disturbing that he would run interference for Urell. Matt is a father. What the heck is he thinking? What are ANY of Urell’s sycophants thinking?
So now Gila in throwing in with these guys too? It’s sad that when someone feels they are “open minded” to various lifestyles they feel compelled to defend ALL “gustos” including those who are attracted to kids and are will to defend pedophiles like they would defend cross dressers or others outside the mainstream. Thanks Art for being open minded but drawing the line in the sand to protect children even when it’s not “cool” or open minded to do so! Keep it up brother!
Poster 28,
Thank you! I appreciate the support. You know, I think I might be more liberal than Hanna at this point. I am pro-choice, pro-gay marriage, anti death penalty, etc.
But you are right – I draw a line in the sand when it comes to molesting children. That act is simply inexcusable.
The victims end up with ruined lives and a lifetime of therapy. Most of the time the perverts get away with their crimes, and God knows Urell helped them do that, by all accounts.
I am issuing a challenge to ALL O.C. politicians and political activists, Republicans and Democrats alike. Choose where YOU stand. Are you with the Urell mafia, or are YOU going to stand for the victims and for justice? There is no gray area or middle ground on this issue. You are either with the good guys or the bad guys…
Art, if you go back to my original comment you will see that I said the following:
Urell has been accused of many things, but I don’t recall even an allegation that he was one of the molesters…to say or imply that he was a perpetrator is just wrong.
Which was in response to your statement that you “want folks to remember that MATT CUNNINGHAM was the one standing by the molesters.”
That was all I said. You have twisted my words and stated or implied I was “running interference” for Matt and that I was proclaiming Urell’s innocence. Your last comment is all about John Hanna, who I have never mentioned in any of my remarks.
I have made one simple statement about the FACT that Urell has never been accused of molestation. That is all. Please do not attribute to me any statements other than the ones I have made.
I’ve read elsewhere that Michelle Malkin, with whom I have probably never before agreed, recently said “You can’t win with the unhinged mob.”
An unhinged mob member comments thusly:
So now Gila in throwing in with these guys too? It’s sad that when someone feels they are “open minded” to various lifestyles they feel compelled to defend ALL “gustos” including those who are attracted to kids and are will to defend pedophiles
So now I’m a pedophile defender. Great. I think I’ll have business cards printed up.
Art,
I agree with you 100%. Now is the time for our so-called “leaders” to let us know where they stand.
Do they stand with the innocent victims of these treacherous pedophiles and molesters?
Or do they stand with the pedophiles, molesters and their enablers?
Once we know where they stand we will be able to cast our votes accordingly.
It is clear that Matt Cunningham will continue to follow in the footsteps of one of his GOP heroes Fuentes and continue to act as an apologist for these monsters.
Living in Orange County for several decades I have been disappointed many times by the actions of Christians and church leaders. (Timmons, Swindoll, Hocking, Moomaw, Page, etc) but these garden variety adulterers at least left the churches where they worked and seemed to go through a real repentance for their sins which all involved adults. What really makes me sick now are these pedophile protecting papists and their willingness to support and defend evil if they think it may give them a brownie point or two with their church leaders and within their warped faith. These sexual sins were committed against CHILDREN and as such should not be forgiven when the perpetrators are still in our midst. Until the Catholic Church is willing to purge them from their ranks (and come clean with depositions regarding the crimes) then we should all join Art and others who call it what it is, an abomination worthy of our continued disgust and righteous anger
Some of your readers may want to learn more about the feared Gila:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gila_monster
I am pro-choice…
When did that happen? Up until a couple of weeks ago, you said you were pro-life.
Art has no core. He’s a a chameleon who takes on the coloring of whoever she’s hanging around with.
Art–
You’ve misrepresented what the Friends of Msgr. Urell are about but you’re certainly entitled to your take. I know you’ve been pretty consistent speaking out against all abuse of children and I respect you for that.
I certainly understand why people may be upset and for those of you who know me and want to talk about it give me a call.
Whatever you may think of me though, why aren’t you all over the anonymous poster who trash talked about Gila? She simply was asking you to be accurate and suddenly she becomes a target too? And you don’t stick up for her? She isn’t part of and doesn’t particularly agree with the the Friends of Urell group and was simply trying to get you to be accurate. I understand you let just about everything but Stanly’s F-bombs on your site but you also are quick to jump in to defend someone who has been unfairly maligned.
Art,
You once shilled for Fuentes who was a child abuser enabler. Claudio was one of the first to speak out when he first joined this blog against Fuentes and you tried to use Brokeback Mountain as a straw man argument in order to take attention away from Fuentes’ crimes. Remember that? Here is the link to remind you of your hypocrisy.
http://www.theorangejuice.com/2005/12/dems-shouldnt-throw-stones-at-fuentes.html#comments
http://www.theorangejuice.com/2005/12/dems-arent-perfect.html#comments
So what say you about your defense of Fuentes. I think you owe John Hanna, Matt Cunningham and Gila Jones an apology.
Poster 37,
And YOU forgot to mention that I have since QUIT the GOP. It is rather public knowledge.
BTW, take a look at the dates on those posts. Not only have I quit the GOP since 2005, I also have changed my views on a whole slew of social issues, thanks in great part to the influence of my good friend Claudio Gallegos.
The rub is that all of this has publicly unfolded on this very blog. So no, I don’t owe anyone an apology.
As for Fuentes, I was not aware at the time about the things he did. I am not at liberty to disclose what I was told well after those posts about Fuentes by a GOP insider. Suffice to say, the man should share in Urell’s fate.
John,
I agree that the attacks on Gila were scurrilous. I was at a conference all day today and could not do anything about them.
However, she equally erred when she decided to call me and my readers an “unhinged mob.” That was an insult and it was not deserved.
If anyone in this drama is unhinged, it is the molesters that Urell and Brown covered up for.
This is not the first time that Gila has resorted to name calling when she disagrees with me. I think she is a nice person for the most part, but that aspect of her personality I could do without.
It also bothers me that she jumps to the defense of Democrats just because they are Democrats and they are her friends. I have left such partisan hackery in the past…and there it shall stay.
As for this pro-Urell group, I must admit I don’t understand it. I see no reason why anyone would want to admit to being a friend of his. If you are indeed his friend, you may want to convince him to return to the U.S. to finish his deposition.
Poster 35,
I do have core values. I still believe abortion is awful, but I also now understand that even if you outlaw it, people will find a way to have abortions. And women will be hurt and some will die. It just isn’t worth it.
I am also against the death penalty. It is ironic that so many pro life activists have no problem putting grown men to death. Death is death. Why is one death OK and the other is not?