LOS ANGELES — The release of 12,000 internal personnel documents late on Thursday by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles came after six years of resistance to a settlement reached in 2007 with more than 500 victims of abuse.Read the rest here.
The documents reveal how Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, now retired, and other church leaders kept priests accused of sexually abusing young people in ministry and failed to report them to the authorities.
To signal action, the church packaged the document release along with an announcement that Cardinal Mahony had been disciplined by his successor, Archbishop José H. Gomez, who has been in office less than two years. Archbishop Gomez released a statement saying that Cardinal Mahony will “no longer have any administrative or public duties.”
The censure amounts to a dramatic public repudiation of a cardinal who dominated Catholic life in Los Angeles for more than two decades, but may have little import other than to bolster the church’s public relations, according to church experts. The retired Cardinal Mahony has now been restrained from speaking in public, but he retains his priestly authorities and may still celebrate Mass.
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Priests, being ontologically different from the rest of us due to ordination, should never be questioned as to their actions.
ReplyDeleteThe same logic applies to Orthodox priests, I think.onus
Why would Catholics even WANT this man to continue celebrating Mass? Why is he considered fit to serve at the altar?
ReplyDelete(Nope, Anonymous, the logic you cite does not apply in Orthodoxy.)
"Why would Catholics even WANT this man to continue celebrating Mass?"
ReplyDeleteAs long as he is ordained, he is obligated to celebrate Holy Mass daily. Perhaps it shouldn't be 'public'.
"Why is he considered fit to serve at the altar?"
No man is fit to approach but for the grace of God. Thanks be to God.