LOS ANGELES (CA)
Press-Telegram
With the selection of a new pope, the Roman Catholic Church signals the way forward for an institution whose policies affect the whole world. The shocking news Monday that Pope Benedict XVI is resigning this month presents just such an occasion, giving the church a chance to move beyond the sins of the past, to modernize.
But the church can hardly expect to cleanse itself as long as Benedict’s replacement will be chosen by a College of Cardinals that includes Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.
Last week, following further revelations about Mahony’s role in protecting priests who sexually molested children, and the removal of the former head of the L.A. archdiocese from administrative duties, we called on him to resign his post as cardinal.
Mahony’s potential role in choosing Benedict’s successor underscores what a purely symbolic gesture that removal was and highlights the need for the North Hollywood resident to step aside.
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