Roman Catholic Church leaders in the East Bay showed "knowing disregard" for the safety of children by transferring a known pedophile priest from parish to parish in the 1970s, a plaintiffs attorney said Monday at the start of a trial in Hayward that could influence the outcomes of hundreds of similar cases throughout California. The Diocese of Oakland's failure to control the "compulsive sexual rituals" of the Rev. Robert Ponciroli severely damaged the lives of two former Antioch altar boys, Bob and Tom Thatcher, attorney Rick Simons said in his opening statement. "This betrayal of trust took away their faith," Simons told the jury.
Posted by Editor at March 29, 2005 09:24 AM