LOS ANGELES (CA)
NBC News
[with video]
By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC News
Los Angeles’ retired Cardinal Roger Mahony, who was rebuked last month for his handling of the sex-abuse crisis, suggests he was “scapegoated” in a blog post ahead of two important dates: his Saturday deposition in a lawsuit alleging that the church hierarchy protected a priest accused of molesting children and his trip to Rome to help pick the next pope.
The high-profile “prince of the church” is at the center of an outcry over several scandal-tainted cardinals being allowed to help choose who will succeed Pope Benedict XVI at next month’s conclave at the Vatican.
Ireland’s Sean Brady, Belgium’s Godfried Danneels and Philadelphia’s Justin Rigali have all been pilloried in the Italian press over allegations they failed to protect children from pedophiles — but it’s Mahony who has drawn the most ire.
A group called Catholics United started a petition against his attendance at the conclave. And an Italian consumer group requested Rome prosecutors open a criminal investigation into Mahony if he travels to the Vatican, the news agency ANSA reported Friday.
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