Anger as US cardinal accused of covering up church abuse given ceremonial honor of closing Pope Francis's coffin
Advocates for victims of church abuse have hit out after it emerged a disgraced U.S. cardinal is to help close and seal Pope Francis' casket ahead of his funeral Saturday.
Cardinal Roger Mahony, 89, was selected by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations to be one of nine clergymen to be present at the ceremonial Rite of Sealing of the Coffin on Friday in St Peter's Basilica. Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011, will also oversee the pope's interment at Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary Major following the service in St. Peter's Square this weekend, the Vatican announced.
The cardinal was stripped of his administrative and public duties with immediate effect in January 2013 by his successor, Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez, after he was accused of shielding priests embroiled in a child sex abuse scandal between the 1980s and 1990s to protect the Catholic Church.
Making the announcement in 2013, Gomez said Mahony had 'expressed his sorrow for his failure to fully protect young people entrusted to his care'.
However Mahony, who is among the oldest and longest-serving cardinal priests in the College of Cardinals, denied any wrongdoing and weeks after his removal Gomez maintained that he remained a 'priest in good standing' with the Catholic Church.
The Los Angeles archdiocese said on Thursday that Gomez's first statement had been "misinterpreted" at the time.
"We are blessed to have Cardinal Mahony represent our Archdiocese in Rome for the funeral of our Holy Father," said the statement. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni added that the cardinals involved in the ceremony were determined by their length of tenure.
Those supporting the survivors of clergy abuse have criticized the Vatican's decision to select the cardinal for the ceremonial honor.
'Shame on him for participating in the public rites for Pope Francis, and shame on the College of Cardinals for allowing him to do so,' Anne Barrett Doyle of the group Bishop Accountability, which has tracked Catholic clergy abuse for decades, told Reuters.
Mahony traveled to the Vatican this week to pay his last respects to the late pontiff, who passed away on Monday, who suffered a stroke and heart failure a day after appearing at Easter Sunday mass in St Peter's Square.
The cardinal said that though he didn't know Francis very well before he was elected pope, they had become closer in recent years and would write to each other regularly.
'He encouraged us to write to him,' Mahony told ABC 7 Eyewitness News. 'I have—I don't know the final number—over 30 letters back from the pope, Pope Francis.'
In 2013, the release of Church files related to a lawsuit suggested Mahony and another official had shielded several accused priests in the 1980s by sending them for treatment to psychiatrists known as friendly to the Church.
Mahony apologized after the release of the files "for my own failure to protect fully the children and youth entrusted into my care." But he said many Catholic officials did not understand how to handle clergy suspected of abuse at the time.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese paid over $660 million to settle clergy abuse claims against 508 victims during Mahony's tenure. The LA archdiocese has paid out over $1.5 billion in total to more than 1,300 victims in various settlements.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Warning over ‘reputational risk' damage from Church abuse scandals
High-profile cases such as that of serial abuser John Smyth and the subsequent Makin Review which prompted the resignation of Justin Welby as Archbishop of Canterbury, are said to 'undermine public confidence' in how seriously safeguarding is taken. The annual report from the Church Commissioners for England – which manages the Church's investment portfolio – described their reputational risk as currently being 'at an elevated level'. The Makin review, the commissioners said, 'gave rise to serious questions about safeguarding practice in the Church of England'. The commissioners' report, published on Monday, added: 'This case and other safeguarding failures undermine public confidence in the assertions made by the Church, including the Church Commissioners, about the importance of, and priority given to, safeguarding. 'The potential reputational impacts could be far-reaching; for example, they may in turn make it more difficult for us to attract and retain staff.' The warning came as Church Commissioners announced they would be investing more than £1.6 billion towards the work of the Church from 2026 to 2028. Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally said the 36% rise on the previous three-year period was 'the biggest injection of funding towards the work of the Church of England in our history, and we are very grateful for that'. The money will go towards various areas including clergy pay, church repairs and net zero plans. Some £30 million is being allocated towards the cost of national safeguarding work, including moves towards greater independence in how safeguarding is dealt with. Some £150 million towards the costs of the new national redress scheme for survivors of Church abuse had already been announced. In his foreword to the report, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell acknowledged the 'challenging year' the Church had faced. The commissioners noted there was also an element of reputational risk around the Church's work on dealing with its past links to slavery, saying such work had already 'attracted significant attention, comment and, in some cases, criticism'. Their latest report warned: 'Further reaction (including negative comment) to this programme of work is expected when the intended new Fund for Healing, Repair and Justice is launched, making investments andissuing grants.' The Church announced in January 2023 its work to address historic links to slavery, with a funding programme for investment, research and engagement to 'address past wrongs' but the initial £100 million investment fund was branded too small and slow. An independent oversight group later said commissioners had 'embraced a target of £1 billion for a broader healing, repair and justice initiative with the fund at its centre'. Elsewhere, some of the overall £1.6 billion investment announced on Monday is to go towards clergy pay rises of almost 11%. The Church said the National Minimum Stipend (NMS) and the National Stipend Benchmark (NSB) will both rise by 10.7% from April, bring them to £33,350 and £34,950 respectively. Dame Sarah said the latest investment will 'value and affirm our clergy who give their lives in the service of Christ through the Church'. She said: 'I hope these carefully costed plans will provide a step-change in support to clergy right the way through from those following a call to ordination to those who have retired. 'It is vital also that we learn the lessons of our recent past and do everything we can to be a safer church for everyone. 'While no amount of money can ever erase the harm done by perpetrators of abuse, these spending plans will support the vital work of safeguarding in the Church and underpin the new National Redress scheme.' To aid the Church's ambition to be 'net zero' by 2030, the commissioners said have earmarked up to £190 million up to 2031 for projects including decarbonising cathedrals, churches, church halls, schools andhouses. The report admits it is 'unlikely that cathedrals will achieve net zero carbon by 2030 without some form of carbon offset, but we are working with the community to help reduce emissions as much as possible'. The commissioners add that the latest investment will go towards preventing 'a 'cliff-edge' after the 2030 target date set by Synod, enabling work to limit carbon emissions to continue to receive support'. Meanwhile, the report noted dozens of repair projects had been funded by commissioners to the value of £1.3 million last year, with a rise in instances of Church ceilings which appeared to have been damaged through lack of ventilation when the buildings were closed during the Covid-19 lockdowns. It said there had been 'an increase in the numbers of failed lath and plaster ceilings due to weakened plaster' which it said was 'likely to have been exacerbated by condensation forming due to the lack of ventilation when churches were closed for prolonged periods during the pandemic'. First Church Estates Commissioner, Alan Smith, said: 'This distribution of £1.6 billion represents the highest distribution in the Church's history – and we celebrate all those who have made it possible across the entire community of the Church, in particular the investments team, clergy and parishes. 'In stewarding these resources, we must be humble and vigilant, as the times ahead promise both great opportunities and challenges.'
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Vandalised Yarmouth Minster windows will cost thousands to fix
Vandals who threw stones at leaded windows in a Norfolk church have caused damage that will cost thousands to wardens were cleaning up broken glass and stones that had been thrown at Great Yarmouth Minster when another window was Spychal went out and spoke to two boys he described as teenagers, but he said that after a brief conversation they ran Reverend Canon Simon Ward, team rector for Great Yarmouth, said: "It is disheartening, and you wish everybody could be aware of how it hurts the people who love this place." He said he had been contacted by many people who had heard the news, with the local Islamic community among the first to do window has been severely damaged while others have been peppered with are dozens of broken diamond window panes, and Mr Ward estimated each one would cost £80 to repair."The window which was the target of the vandalism is something in the region of £15,000. We've had to remove the whole window," he said."We're also looking at putting guards over windows [although] we don't want to do that. We'd love to think this is a building cherished by the community."You don't want to go down that line of reinforcing and defending. We'd rather be inviting and share what a wonderful place this is." Carved timber on the lectern balustrade and the choir stalls was damaged as stones and masonry were strewn across the church, which is the largest parish church in warden Wendy Betts, who found the damage on the morning of 22 May, said: "It was later when we were cleaning up in the afternoon that a stone came through the window while we were there."We rushed outside to see who the culprits were and we saw them but they got away. The police were informed and we'll see what happens." Mr Spychal, another church warden, had been up a ladder removing the large objects that had been wedged into the window said: "I'd like to offer the two boys the opportunity to come into the church and see the church and engage with the community in the church and realise the church is there for them."Hopefully the welcome will persuade them not to carry on with these remiss actions." Norfolk Police has been contacted for comment. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Nursery teacher turned OnlyFans star to SUE student's dad who leaked x-rated pics to football mates and got her sacked
The miss was sacked after she refused to delete her account STAR'S REVENGE Nursery teacher turned OnlyFans star to SUE student's dad who leaked x-rated pics to football mates and got her sacked Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A CATHOLIC nursery school teacher turned OnlyFans star is set to sue the dad of a pupil who got her sacked after leaking her X-rated snaps. Elena Maraga, 29, became the centre of a scandal after her erotic online account filled with adult content was leaked to a football team's group chat. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Nursery school teacher Elena Maraga (pictured) was fired after her OnlyFans acount was discovered Credit: Newsflash 6 The teacher is now suing the dad she claims leaked her pictures on a football group chat Credit: Newsflash 6 Elena Maraga poses for her OnlyFans account Credit: Newsflash 6 Her X-rated pictures spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities Credit: Newsflash She was suspended without pay from her job at a nursery in north Italy after refusing to delete the account before being sacked. Although she fought fiercely to stay, church leaders said her adult content had exposed the school to "reputational risks". Now Elena is suing the dad she says found her OnlyFans profile and leaked the subscriber-only pictures to a football fans' group chat. The racey snaps spread like wildfire before the dad's wife reported the miss to the school authorities. Elena said: 'There are parents who accused me, but they are the same ones who paid to see me. It's embarrassing. "They made me look like a harlot, but who is the immoral one? "I want to give voice to all those women who, like me, have felt condemned or punished for doing things that men also do without facing any consequences. "Me, who can do what I want with my body in my spare time, or them, who pay to watch and then condemn? "I'm tired of the injustices I've suffered." Elena also filed complaints against three social media users for allegedly defamatory comments posted after the revelation broke. OnlyFans star Merve Taskin ARRESTED over offering Valentine's night with fan for £9k…& listing what she'd give in return The miss turned OnlyFans star is also facing a second legal battle in an appeal for financial compensation against school officials who she says dismissed her without reason. She said: "Despite everything, I miss the children - but not the problems related to that job that I loved. "But today I would not go back." School authorities said her contract would be terminated "for just cause with immediate effect. It claimed that her OnlyFans account "contrasts with the Catholic inspiration that guides the educational direction of the school". The controversy was unearthed after the father of one of her pupils allegedly bought photos from her OnlyFans. Maraga claims that the man's wife found out after he distributed the pictures to a football group. But the 29-year-old has blasted the way her former employer handled the matter. She said: "They attacked me, saying I was seeking media attention. "Taking compromising photos has never compromised my professionalism at work. "The school has never wanted to talk to me, they have always acted with letters and have never wanted dialogue. 6 The 29-year-old was suspended without pay last month after refusing to delete the account Credit: Instagram 6 She had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years Credit: Instagram "I am surprised that a Catholic school that preaches morality treats an employee in this way." The Italian education ministry has signalled its intent to draw up a new code of ethics to prevent teachers appearing on adult sites, The Telegraph has reported. Maraga told Italian media she has a degree in Educational Sciences and that she had been working in a Catholic nursery for five years. She told Il Messaggero: "I love being a nursery school teacher, it was my vocation since I was a child." She added that she opened the account one month ago "partly for fun, partly out of curiosity, partly to see if you could really earn money". She said: "In one day I get a month's salary."
