LOS ANGELES (CA)
Yahoo! News
By Sylvia Cochran | Yahoo! Contributor Network
With the surprising resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, California Cardinal Roger Mahony has been preparing to attend the Vatican conclave to elect a new pope. In light of documents made public that detail Mahony’s role in the Los Angeles archdiocese sexual abuse scandal, the Religion News Service now reports that there are renewed demands that Mahony should stay home.
What is the status of Mahony’s role in the church?
Although still an American cardinal, the Archbishop of Los Angeles, Jose Gomez, has relieved Mahony of all “administrative or public duties” in the wake of the court-ordered release of previously confidential church records. Nevertheless, the cardinal is still entitled to travel to Rome and vote in the conclave.
Does Archbishop Gomez support Mahony’s travel to the Vatican conclave?
While Gomez does not discuss his personal preference, the Los Angeles Times reports that he reminds the faithful that Mahony is still considered to be in “good standing” — recent revelations in the sexual abuse scandal notwithstanding. “Cardinal Mahony’s accomplishments and experience in the areas of immigration, social justice, sacred liturgy, and the role of the laity in the church will serve the College of Cardinals well as it works to discern the will of the Holy Spirit in these deliberations that will lead to the election of our new pope,” Gomez wrote in a press release.
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