CA high court paves way for release of friar files

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review an appeals court decision to unseal the files of nine Franciscan friars accused of child molestation, meaning thousands of pages of potentially incriminating documents will be made public within weeks.

The order covers four categories of files kept by the religious order on the California friars, including psychological records, confidential papers and documents related to the defrocking of some of the men over sex abuse allegations, said Tim Hale, an attorney for plaintiffs whose lawsuits prompted the ruling.

The files are expected to contain records of the friars’ sessions with therapists and psychotherapists, disciplinary files and defrocking paperwork — all things that could show how much the Franciscans knew about their employees’ behavior and when they knew it.

In some cases, files related to the defrocking of priests and other clerics include correspondence between local religious leaders and the Vatican.

The Franciscans are disappointed with the ruling but are preparing for the papers to be released within three weeks as directed by the court’s order, said Brian Brosnahan, an attorney for the Franciscans.