Los Angeles
Cardinal Roger Mahony will be among those traveling to Rome next month to
participate in a papal conclave to elect a successor to retiring Pope Benedict
XVI.
The 210-member
College of Cardinals elects the pope, but only those under age 80 can
participate in the secret election.
"Surely one of
his great legacies will be a continuing emphasis on the need for all Catholics
to exercise their role as evangelizers in the world," the 78-year-old cardinal
said in a statement. "His focus upon the new evangelization will continue to
enliven all disciples of Jesus."
As a member of
the College of Cardinals, Mahony recalled the April 2005 conclave in which he
helped elect the German-born pope.
"I recall so
clearly his words when he told the cardinals that he was choosing the name
Benedict because of his fondness for the prayerfulness and the Rule of St.
Benedict, and also because Pope Benedict XV served during a time of turmoil and
wars across the world," Mahony said.
The previous
Pope Benedict served from 1914-20.
The current
pope, who cited failing strength of mind and body, would become the first head
of the Roman Catholic Church to resign from the lifelong appointment in about
600 years. He appointed 67 of the 118 cardinals who will pick a successor, who
needs two-thirds approval to be elected pope.
Mahony said he looked forward to thanking the pope in person "and to participate in the conclave to elect his successor." Daily News
Last month,
previously secret church files revealed Mahony and other archdiocese leaders had
shielded priests suspected of abusing children, kept parishioners in the dark
and failed to call police about sex crimes against minors. The
Republic Los Angeles
Archbishop Jose Gomez on Jan. 31 announced dramatic actions in response to the
priest abuse scandal, saying that Cardinal Roger Mahony would be stripped of
public duties. LA Times On the same day,
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles released 12,000 pages of internal
files on priests accused of sexually abusing children. NY Times Gomez said in a
statement that Mahony -- who led the L.A. archdiocese from 1985 to 2011 -- "will
no longer have any administrative or public duties." LA Times Mahony's
reputation was tainted by the abuse scandal that resulted in a record $600
million payout to more than 500 plaintiffs who sued the church over abuse. The
Republic
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