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Thousands of Catholics from throughout the greater Los Angeles area gathered in East Los Angeles Dec. 2 to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe as the mother of all peoples -- from every language, race and culture. A mile-long procession, the oldest religious procession in the city honoring Mary, led participants to East Los Angeles College Stadium, where Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and the auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles, numerous priests and more than 15,000 of the faithful gathered for Mass. The theme this year was "Mother Without Borders: Bringing Down the Walls of Injustice." The event was part of a...

Massive PR machine? Some say Cardinal Mahony’s willingness to meet with sexual abuse victims nothing more than a public relations stunt Over the past year, Cardinal Roger Mahony has met individually with 70 victims of clergy sexual abuse. Archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg told the July 30 Los Angeles Times that Mahony has scheduled more meetings with sexual abuse victims and that “he has said he will meet with any victim who wants to meet with him.” But Lee Bashworth, 37, who claims abuse by former priest Michael Wempe, told the Times, that, though he would “relish an opportunity to tell...

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles faces a firestorm after a $660 million settlement with victims of priest abuse, but he is considered unlikely to resign as legions of Latinos stand behind him. In the most Latino of the big U.S. cities, Mahony's support for equality and immigration reform have earned him a following that may help him avoid the fate of other U.S. Roman Catholic leaders forced out in abuse scandals. "I have a lot of confidence in the political and religious capital he has to survive this," said Clara Irazabal, a professor of urban planning at University of...

You might be at your computer right now, but just across the street from Disneyland somewhere around 40,000 of the faithful have gathered for the archdiocese of Los Angeles' Religious Education Congress, which runs through tomorrow. American Catholicism's largest annual gathering, the four-day Magisterium-fest kicked off with Thursday's Youth Day, for which a sold-out arena of 10,000 young people took part in a full plate of liturgies and workshops. Among its headliners was Tony Melendez, the local guitarist and speaker who's moved hundreds of thousands over two decades of appearances the world over, most memorably getting John Paul II...

Like the three services celebrated earlier in the morning and the four that will follow into the afternoon, the 10:45 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in the Pico-Union district of downtown Los Angeles is crammed to the rafters, even though the church holds nearly 1,000 parishioners. When I spoke on a recent Sunday to Msgr. Jarlath Cunnane, or Father Jay, as he is known by his congregation, he said: “If we had the space, I think another thousand people might well come to each Sunday Mass. We’re full, bursting at the seams, and so are most...

Michael Edwin Wempe, the pedophile priest whom Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said he regretted returning to the ministry, was sentenced today to three years in prison for molesting a boy more than a decade ago. The 66-year-old retired priest was found guilty in February in the first significant criminal conviction of a Los Angeles cleric since the church's sexual abuse scandal erupted four years ago. Wempe received the maximum sentence, but has already served 600 days, so he will spend about another year in prison. He made no statement to the court. The case garnered close attention because it came...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Several U.S. cardinals had a busy morning in Washington April 28 urging humane and compassionate immigration legislation as the Senate prepared to debate immigration reform. The U.S. bishops want a "comprehensive reform" that deals compassionately with the millions of undocumented aliens in the United States, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said in brief remarks at a photo opportunity between meetings on Capitol Hill. The U.S. bishops have expressed support for many aspects of a compromise bill expected to reach the Senate floor in early May, but they are also concerned about harsh enforcement provisions in the...

The national immigration debate is muddying Republican relations with Roman Catholics - coveted swing voters who comprise about one-quarter of the electorate. While Catholic bishops and many Republican politicians share opposition to abortion, they're often split over the specifics of immigration reform. Church leaders are challenging - and in some cases even vowing to defy - the tougher enforcement proposals by GOP lawmakers. The issue highlights the roadblocks that the Catholic worldview creates for Republicans and Democrats. Catholics are generally conservative on personal issues such as marriage, but tend to be liberal on social justice problems, limiting the appeal of...

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony acknowledged to Los Angeles Catholics in his 2004 "Report to the People of God" that he left five priests in ministry despite complaints that they had molested children. But a Times analysis of church records released since then shows that he left 11 other priests in ministry for periods up to 13 years after parishioners raised concerns about inappropriate behavior with children. Seven of these 11 cases were not detailed in the People of God report. The other four were mentioned incompletely; the report said they were removed when complaints were lodged but did not disclose...

After years of stonewalling, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles has run out of excuses for blocking the prosecution of rogue priests accused in the Catholic Church's pedophilia scandal. While other bishops and cardinals cooperated with the authorities, Mahony became a study in arrogance who only compounded the church's embarrassment. His lawyers concocted elaborate hypotheses that church leaders and priests - under the confidentiality of "the sanctification process" - somehow enjoyed shelter from their basic duty to cooperate with criminal law enforcement. The Supreme Court put an end to the evasions on Monday in refusing to hear the cardinal's final...

A new poll shows U.S. Catholics, like Americans at large, oppose granting amnesty to illegal aliens, despite their bishops' stance in favor of such a path to citizenship. "Catholics appear to be slightly to the left of the American public at large on the issue of immigration," said Zogby spokesman Fritz Wenzel, adding they are not as liberal as the U.S. bishops, who have issued six pastoral letters on immigration in the past 20 years. When asked "Do you support or oppose amnesty for undocumented workers who are already in the U.S.?" 34 percent of Catholics said they support it,...

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony must turn over to L.A. prosecutors the personnel files of two priests accused of molestation after the U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear his request to keep them private. Though the ruling only affects the files of two priests, it likely opens the door to the release of hundreds of confidential Catholic church files sought by more than 500 people who say they were molested by priests with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Mahony has fought more vigorously than any other prelate in the United States to block attempts by prosecutors and plaintiff attorneys to...

While Congress was in recess, immigrants and supporters continued to rally for humane immigration reform throughout the country. In Los Angeles, religious leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions and several thousand people gathered downtown for a vigil and procession that emphasized American pride, inclusiveness, peaceful demonstration and affirming the democratic process. =============================== Importance of symbols Immigration reform leaders have become increasingly aware of how every symbol is being perceived by American citizens as they watch television and read newspapers. Some citizens have become alarmed at seeing foreign flags being waved during demonstrations. Prior to the vigil Cardinal Mahony asked...

AgapePress) - A Roman Catholic immigration reform activist is joining a growing number of her fellow Catholics in calling for a boycott of parishes and dioceses that support the deliberate violation of American immigration laws. Cardinal Roger Mahony heads the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States. As an outspoken supporter of illegal aliens, Mahony has criticized a bill that would tighten enforcement of immigration laws, a position that puts him at odds with an increasing number of church members who support the legislation. According to Susan Tully of the Federation for American Immigration Reform...

In 410 A.D., barbarians, discontent that they lacked full Roman enfranchisement, sacked Rome. The pagans blamed the Christians for this defeat on the grounds that Christian doctrine renounced the political and military necessities of this world. Although the Empire was already Christian by this point and Christian soldiers proudly fought on the frontiers, the pagan criticism acquired some currency. Addressing these accusations, St. Augustine responded that Christians were not to blame and, laying the foundation for later just-war theory, argued that in a good state there are circumstances for the defense of one’s country. Barbarians, after all, lived on the...

The Bishops’ Borders - A question of principles and practicalities JOHN O’SULLIVAN Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles recently proposed that Catholics begin the Lenten season by fasting and praying to defeat a bill just passed by the House of Representatives to tighten up the enforcement of immigration control and border security. It sounded like a new sort of progressive penance for recalcitrant pre-Vatican II Catholics — but the cardinal was apparently in earnest. He warned his archdiocese that “hysterical” anti-immigrant sentiment was sweeping the nation, argued that the House bill was tantamount to “punishing people who help immigrants,” suggested...

When Roger Mahony was about 12, law officers raided his father's poultry processing plant in the San Fernando Valley. They were searching for illegal aliens. "I will never forget them bursting through the doors," he recently told the Washington Post. "I was terrified by it. And I thought, 'These poor people; they're here making a living supporting their families."' Now, as Cardinal Mahony, leader of the 5 million Catholics (75 percent Latino) in the Los Angeles archdiocese, he is mounting a crusade on behalf of illegal immigrants, and is asking Catholics to express solidarity with them through prayer and fasting....

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles is speaking out against crackdowns on illegals. How far will his voice carry? April 10, 2006 issue - Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, spent last week at the Vatican, where he and other Catholic leaders helped select new cardinals. But his thoughts strayed back home, where more than 500,000 people—mostly Latinos, and many from his flock—marched through the streets of downtown L.A. protesting anti-immigration legislation. "I saw the march from Rome, on CNN," Mahony told NEWSWEEK. "I was thrilled. Not only by the numbers,...

Cardinal urges 'fair' migrant law By Duncan Kennedy BBC News, Los Angeles Cardinal Mahony has intervened in the immigration debate before The leader of the largest Catholic archdiocese in the US, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, has called for "just and humane" immigration laws. This is in response to the growing controversy over the future of millions of illegal immigrants. He said the debate in the Senate this week on immigration reform would have far-reaching effects for all Americans. Cardinal Mahony leads five million Roman Catholics, 75% of them of Hispanic origin. In a statement, he urged solidarity...

There have been further rumors that a possible school boycott would be held on Friday, March 31st. As one who is deeply engaged in the overall efforts to have Congress pass just and humane immigration reform legislation, I am urging all students in the greater Los Angeles area to stay in school tomorrow. I am urging all parents to speak with their sons and daughters this evening and in the morning impressing upon them the need for to remain in school and not on the streets. Our goal is a shared one: work together effectively to educate the entire community...

One day, Roger Mahony, then about 12, was working in his father's poultry processing plant in the San Fernando Valley when law enforcement agents searching for illegal immigrants raided the facility. "I will never forget them bursting through the doors," Mahony recalled. "I was terrified by it. And I thought, 'These poor people; they're here making a living supporting their families.' . . . It had a very deep impact on me throughout the years." One of his father's workers was taken away. Now Cardinal Roger Mahony, he leads the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It is the largest Roman Catholic...

When it comes to illegal immigration, suddenly liberal Democrats have only one guide to public policy: ''What would Jesus do?'' The target of their Bible-based ire is a border-enforcement bill that recently passed the House and is allegedly the greatest challenge Christianity has faced since the lions in the Colosseum.     Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said ''This bill would literally criminalize the good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself.'' Note: not figuratively, but literally. The New York Times has attacked the bill with an editorial titled, ''The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437.'' Stoking all the Bible-thumping is Cardinal Roger Mahony of...

In his most forceful comments to date, Mahony said he would instruct his priests to defy legislation — if approved by Congress — that would require churches and other social organizations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing assistance and penalize them if they refuse to do so. That provision was included in the immigration bill recently passed by the House of Representatives; a similar proposal is in the version that the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to begin debating this week.[snip] He [Mahony] said he also planned to step up his personal political advocacy, starting with a letter to...

When Cardinal Roger Mahony called on Roman Catholics this week to embrace immigrants regardless of legal status, he wasn't just reiterating the church's long tradition of reaching out to the downtrodden. Mahony and other U.S. Catholic bishops are increasingly weighing into the debate over what to do about the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States - a development that's being met with criticism from groups pushing for tougher immigration law enforcement. Catholic leaders have launched a "Justice for Immigrants" campaign, appealed to President Bush and congressional leaders for a legalization program, and sharply criticized a bill...

FREEPER ALERT - Online poll in Pasadena Star News Re: Cardinal Mahony Calls for Ignoring Immigration Laws Go to link: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ Scroll down front page to "What Do You Think?" box Enter your response to following question: Do you agree with Cardinal Roger Mahony's instruction to his priests to ignore a proposed federal law requiring them to make sure people they provide aid to are legally in the country? Yes No

Los Angeles (AP) -- The head of the Los Angeles Roman Catholic archdiocese asked the U.S. Supreme Court to let the church keep priest personnel records out of the hands of investigators in a sex abuse probe. Attorneys for Cardinal Roger M. Mahony filed the petition on Thursday, arguing that giving prosecutors private records on two priests would violate the constitutional separation of church and state. The petition follows a decision by the California Supreme Court last year that the archdiocese must produce the files, which were subpoenaed three years ago. "What is most important from the perspective of Cardinal...

  From newtimesla.com Originally published by New Times L.A. Jun 13, 2002 ©2002 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved. Mahony's Cronies In covering up for predator priests, Cardinal Roger Mahony's stayed true to a prestigious old boys' network of fellow alums from St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. By Ron Russell When Roger M. Mahony pulled the plug on child-molesting priest Carl Sutphin earlier this year after elevating him only recently to associate pastor of the soon-to-open Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral downtown, the cardinal's visible anguish stemmed from more than just embarrassment. In announcing the 69-year-old Sutphin's departure in...

L.A. cathedral will hold funeral Mass for pro-abortion politician EDWARD ROYBAL, former California congressman and father of congresswoman, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, died earlier this week of respiratory failure. He was 89. In an obituary which all but canonized Roybal a saint, THE LOS ANGELES TIMES described the first Latino to sit on the L.A. City Council since the 1880's, as one " ... who championed the rights of the underprivileged and the elderly during 30 years in the House of Representatives and was the mentor to scores of Latino lawmakers in Los Angeles." He may have championed the rights of...

No one should be fooled by Cardinal Roger Mahony's latest attempt to sanitize the scandal of the pedophile priests who ravaged schoolchildren for decades in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Other prelates have cooperated with criminal prosecutors as the American church has reeled with disclosures that have led to the dismissals of more than 700 rogue priests in a three-year period. Cardinal Mahony continues to resist court orders for the disclosure of church personnel documents to criminal investigators.

Protests 'coddling' of pro-choicers at mayoral inauguration A pro-life Catholic group is calling for the resignation of Los Angeles Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahony after security guards at the city's main cathedral threatened to arrest students protesting at inauguaration ceremonies held there for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The American Life League said that about a dozen students planned to attend the ceremonies for Villaraigosa -- a Catholic who supports abortion rights -- and peacefully protest with shirts and signs that read: "You can't be Catholic and pro-abortion." Cathedral security guards blocked the students' from entering and threatened them with arrest. "It is...

IRAQ OPPORTUNIST Last week the campaign of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry made much of the fact that their boy spoke with the father of Nicholas Berg, the American murdered by Muslim extremists with ties to al Qaeda. Kerry, who was campaigning in Arkansas with Wesley Clark spoke by phone to Michael Berg for about ten minutes. Kerry's camp claimed that Berg had "reached out" to Kerry and that Kerry had returned the phone call. But according to a Kerry campaign staffer, it was the campaign that initiated the call to Berg. "People in our Pennsylvania operation had...

Saved, but DegradedThe LA Conservancy Recounts the Rescue of St. Vibiana's By Maggie Garcia It seemed it would be no problem for Roger Cardinal Mahony to raze St. Vibiana's Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles in 1995 -- even though the building was such an integral part of Los Angeles's history and architecture. Given the unwavering support the cardinal received from Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan (who happened to be the archdiocese's attorney) few people thought that it would be possible to save the historic building. Soon, the historic preservation community in Los Angeles decided that they would not only have...

In Mahony's case, such bonds help explain why one of the most powerful hierarchs in the American Catholic church -- whose name, until recently, had been whispered as among those with a shot at becoming pope -- would go to great lengths to harbor pedophile priests while turning his back on their victims. As detailed in past articles in New Times, he has consistently blocked efforts by victims to extract justice from their molesters. He has resisted cooperating with law enforcement, assigned emissaries to keep scandals from getting into the newspapers and, as a last resort, has authorized spending...

LOS ANGELES, May 16 — Cardinal Roger Mahony, head of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, has apologized for transferring a Roman Catholic priest from church to church despite an alleged confession from the man that he had molested children for years. The apology is the latest development in the sexual abuse scandal that has roiled the Roman Catholic Church. EARLIER THIS week, Mahony faxed a two-page letter to 1,200 priests in the archdiocese, acknowledging that he mishandled the case of the Rev. Michael Baker. “As your archbishop, I assume full responsibility for allowing Baker to remain in any type...

The sex abuse scandal is lapping awfully close to the feet of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that an accused molester of four boys lived in Mahony's residence at St. Vibiana's cathedral and that Mahony recently assigned the molester to serve at his new cathedral in downtown Los Angeles as an associate pastor. For how long had Mahony known his housemate and would-be associate pastor was a molester? For at least a decade. "It was one of those cases where I felt he had followed the treatment successfully, honestly, and was rehabilitated to the...

FRESNO, Calif. (April 7, 2002 9:19 p.m. EDT) - A pastor approached last month over sexual abuse allegations involving Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony said Sunday he believes the claims are false. Flora Mae Hickman, 51, of Fresno, alleges she was molested by Mahony while a student at San Joaquin Memorial Catholic High School in 1969. Hickman said she has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and is taking medication for depression. She told The Associated Press that she was knocked unconscious while fighting with students and woke to find the "bottom" portion of her clothing removed and Mahony,...