Roger Michael Mahony | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cardinal Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Cardinal Mahony in March 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Los Angeles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appointed | July 12, 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Installed | September 5, 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | March 1, 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Timothy Manning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Successor | José Horacio Gómez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other post | Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Quattro Coronati | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordination | May 1, 1962 by Aloysius Joseph Willinger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Consecration | March 19, 1975 by Hugh Aloysius Donohoe,William Robert Johnson, andJohn Stephen Cummins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created cardinal | June 28, 1991 byJohn Paul II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1936-02-27)February 27, 1936 (age 89) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Denomination | Catholic Church | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parents | Victor and Loretta Mahony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Catholic University of America | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motto | To reconcile God's people | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Styles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Reference style | His Eminence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spoken style | Your Eminence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religious style | Cardinal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Informal style | Cardinal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See | Los Angeles (Emeritus) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roger Michael MahonyKGCHS (born February 27, 1936) is anAmerican Catholic retired prelate who served asarchbishop of Los Angeles in California from 1985 to 2011. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of theDiocese of Fresno in California from 1975 to 1980 and bishop of theDiocese of Stockton in California from 1980 to 1985.
Born inLos Angeles and raised in theSan Fernando Valley, Mahony wasordained to the priesthood in 1962. He was appointedauxiliary bishop of Fresno in January 1975 and consecratedbishop in March 1975. Mahony was then appointed bishop of Stockton in 1980. In 1985, he was appointed archbishop of Los Angeles byPope John Paul II, and became the first Los Angeles native to hold the office. The pope created Mahony a cardinal in 1991, and he voted in thepapal conclaves that elected PopesBenedict XVI andFrancis.
During his tenure as Los Angeles archbishop, Mahony was instrumental in dividing the archdiocese into five administrative subdivisions and in guiding the construction of theCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which opened in September 2002. Mahony has also been identified as a key figure in the cover-up of the Catholic Churchsexual abuse scandal, where dozens of abusive priests were moved to other churches rather than prosecuted. In 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles apologized for abuses by priests and announced a record-breaking settlement of$660 million for 508 victims.[1]
In 2011, Mahony reached themandatory retirement age for bishops and was succeeded by ArchbishopJosé H. Gómez on March 1.[2] On January 31, 2013, Gómez relieved Mahony of his public and episcopal duties in the archdiocese, following the release of personnel files documenting priests' sexual abuse during Mahony's tenure.
Roger Mahony was born on February 27, 1936, in theHollywood district of Los Angeles, the son of Victor and Loretta (née Baron) Mahony. He has a twin brother, Louis, and an older brother, Neil. Roger Mahony attendedSt. Charles Borromeo Grammar School in North Hollywood andLos Angeles College.[3]
After studying at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary andSt. John's Seminary, Mahony wasordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Fresno on May 1, 1962, by BishopAloysius Joseph Willinger.[4]
Mahony graduated fromCatholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 1964 with aMaster of Social Work degree. For the next 13 years, Mahony heldpastoral andcurial assignments in the Diocese of Monterey-Fresno and later in the newly formed Diocese of Fresno. He also taughtsocial work atFresno State University inFresno, California. Mahony was named amonsignor in February 1967.[3]
On January 7, 1975, Mahony was appointed asauxiliary bishop of Fresno andtitular bishop of Tamascani byPope Paul VI. He received hisepiscopal consecration on March 19, 1975, in Fresno from BishopHugh A. Donohoe, with BishopsWilliam R. Johnson andJohn S. Cummins serving as co-consecrators.[4]
Also in 1975, California GovernorJerry Brown appointed Mahony as chair of theCalifornia Agricultural Labor Relations Board. As chair, he worked to resolve labor disputes between theUnited Farm Workers, the farmworkers union, and growers.[3]
On February 15, 1980, Mahony was appointed Bishop of Stockton byPope John Paul II, as announced by the nuncio,Jean Jadot.[3] Mahony terminated two extern priests forsexual abuse during his tenure at Stockton.
In 1980, shortly after Mahony became Bishop of Stockton, a parent wrote to the diocese accusing the FrOliver O'Grady of molesting his two sons. Mahony in 1982 then transferred O'Grady to another parish. Soon more accusations arose from the new parish.[5] In 1984, the local police closed an investigation into O'Grady after a diocesan lawyer promised to keep him away from children.[6] In December 1984, despite the earlier promise, Mahony transferred O'Grady to another parish.
In 1998, Mahony, then Archbishop of Los Angeles, returned to Stockton to testify in a civil trial against the diocese. A jury later awarded $30 million in damages to two of O'Grady's victims.[6]
On July 16, 1985, Mahony was appointed as Archbishop of Los Angeles by John Paul II, becoming the first nativeAngeleno to hold that office. He was createdcardinal-priest of theBasilica dei Santi Quattro Coronati in Rome by John Paul II in theconsistory of June 28, 1991.
The1994 Northridge earthquake necessitated the abandonment of theCathedral of Saint Vibiana. Mahony then began planning the new $190 millionCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Many Catholics were upset about its non-traditional design and high project cost. In response, Mahony noted that foundations and donors were funding the new cathedral, not parishes. He also said that the archdiocese needed a mother church and religious center to unite its people.[7][8] One of the largest Catholic churches in the United States, the new cathedral was dedicated on September 2, 2002.[3]
In 1987, Mahony announced the auction of the Doheny rare book collection atSt. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California. The philanthropist Carrie Estelle Doheny had donated the collection to the seminary during the 1940s and 1950s. It included aGutenberg Bible and a first edition of the 1885 novelThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn byMark Twain. Mahony cited the financial needs of the archdiocese and the high cost of insuring the collection as the reasons for its sale. The proceeds were intended to fund an endowment for training new priests.[9]
The Doheny auction raised $37.8 million for the archdiocese. However, by 1996 the archdiocese had spent as much as $25 million of the proceeds on other projects, including $1 million to renovate Mahony's residence.[10]
During Mahony's tenure in Los Angeles, the number of priests declined while the number of lay ministers increased. Mahony remarked on this:
"What some refer to as a 'vocations crisis' is, rather, one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council. It is a sign of God's deep love for the Church, and an invitation to a more creative and effective ordering of gifts and energy in the Body of Christ."[11][12]
In May 1998, Mahony announced he had been diagnosed withprostate cancer.[13] He underwent aprostatectomy on June 15, 1998; doctors said that the surgery was successful.[14] Mahony was acardinal elector in the2005 papal conclave that selectedPope Benedict XVI.[citation needed]
On April 6, 2010,Pope Benedict XVI named ArchbishopJosé H. Gómez as thecoadjutor archbishop in Los Angeles to assist Mahony.[15] After the Vatican accepted Mahony's resignation as archbishop of Los Angeles on February 28, 2011, Gómez automatically succeeded him. The formal ceremony of transition was held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, with Mahony's resignation taking canonical effect on March 1, 2011.[16]
In his retirement, Mahony said that he planned to devote more time to advocacy forimmigrants.[17] He took up residence at the rectory inSt. Charles Borromeo Church in North Hollywood.[18]
On January 31, 2013, Gómez relieved Mahony of all of his remaining public and administrative duties due to his actions during the Church's sexual abuse crisis.[19][20] Mahony remained "a priest in good standing" and could still celebratemass, but could no longer speak publicly or exercise a bishop's responsibilities, such as performingconfirmations.[19][21] Critics called Gómez's action "purely symbolic punishment" and "hand-slapping...a nearly meaningless gesture", and noted that Mahony remained "a powerful man" in the church.[20]
Following the February 2013resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, some Catholic groups objected to Mahony's voting in a papal conclave so soon after his censure.[22] However, Mahony participated in theconclave in March 2013 that elected Pope Francis.[23][24][25]
In May 2013, after officiating at aconfirmation service, Mahony told aLos Angeles Times reporter that the ban on confirmations was "news to him". Mahony added, "I've been doing them every week and I'm going to be doing them every week... So go home."[26]In 2018, a group launched a petition drive calling on the archdiocese to remove Mahony from St. Charles Borromeo Church. On September 16, 2018, during a mass, demonstrators gathered in front of St. Charles to protest Mahony's involvement in the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal.[27]Mahony in November 2024 condemned theTrump Administration's plan to deport massive numbers ofundocumented immigrants from the United States.[28]
In April 2025, after the death ofPope Francis, Mahony traveled to Rome and participated in the Rite of Sealing of the Coffin as the most seniorCardinal-priest able to travel.[29][30]
In 2021, Mahony criticized “The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church”, a resolution proposed in the USCCB. The resolution called on bishops to ban from all Catholic public officials from receiving theeucharist who supportedabortion rights for women.[31] Mahony stated,
“First of all, we are a democratic republic. Our country’s path is one of separation of church and state. And so, it’s a very difficult position for politicians, Catholics, who are pressured by some in the Church to make all of the decisions based on Catholic Church doctrine.”[31]
In 1992, Mahony published apastoral letterFilm Makers, Film Viewers on the topic oftelevision news and the entertainment industry. In the letter, he rejectedfilm censorship, instead advocating that filmmakers and television writers strive for "human values" when portraying sexual situations and violence in their products.[32]
Mahony criticized certain provisions in theBorder Protection, Anti-terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R. 4437), introduced byRepublican members of theUS House of Representatives. He told US PresidentGeorge W. Bush that the bill would effectively prevent the Catholic Church from providing charitable assistance and religious ministry toundocumented immigrants.[33] In May 2006, Mahony announced that he would order his clergy and lay people to ignore the law if it were passed.[34]
Mahony personally lobbied the US senators from California,Barbara Boxer andDianne Feinstein, to have theUS Senate consider a comprehensive immigration reform bill, rather than the House bill.[35] Mahony also blamed theUS Congress for the illegal immigration crisis, due to its failure to act on the issue over the previous 20 years. He supported instead theComprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006.[36][37] Neither plan passed Congress.
Mahony in September 1997 published apastoral letter on the mass entitled "Gather Faithfully Together: A Guide for Sunday Mass".[38] The letter called all parishes to plan and celebrate each Sunday mass in order to deepen the faith-life of all Catholics through theeucharist.[39]
Mother Angelica, the host of a popular program on theEternal Word Television Network, commented in June 2010 that she believed "Gather Faithfully Together" was inconsistent with existing official liturgical directives set by the Vatican.[40]
In 1988, Mahony adopted what he termed as azero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse allegations against clergy. In 1992, at a national meeting of Catholic bishops, Mahony stated that the Catholic Church needed to do more to combat sexual abuse of minors. In March 2002, he ordered the removal of 12 priests in the archdiocese from ministry due to credible accusations of sexual abuse.[41]
In February 2004, the archdiocese issued theReport to the People of God. The report contained an apology from Mahony for the failing of the archdiocese in handling accusations of sexual abuse. It included a detailed list of priests and circumstances in cases of known abuse. It also described the development of archdiocesan policy related to sexual abuse, and case studies of accused priests. It included details of the most significant cases in the archdiocese's history. However,Report to the People of God failed to include information on 33 priests who were accused of sexual abuse, but whose cases lacked confirmatory evidence. Despite strong criticism from the media, the archdiocese blocked the release of this information.[42][43]
In 2007, the archdiocese apologized again for abuses by priests and announced a legal settlement of$660 million to 508 victims, averaging $1.3 million per plaintiff. Mahony described the abuse as a "terrible sin and crime". The agreement settled all outstanding civil lawsuits at that time against the archdiocese.[1]
In 2013, after Mahony's retirement as archbishop, the archdiocese released memos written by Auxiliary BishopThomas J. Curry to Mahony in 1986 and 1987, discussing potential legal accountability for priests accused of sexual abuse. Curry recommended that the archdiocese encourage priests seeking therapy to avoid using therapists who might report them to law enforcement. At the same time, Mahony wrote the director of theServants of the Paracletes center inNew Mexico, which treated priests who had committed sexual abuse. Mahony wanted to prevent any of his priests at the center from returning to Los Angeles. He cited possible lawsuits by their victims, whom the archdiocese had been assured that the priests would never return.[44]
In February 2020, Mahony was named as a defendant in a lawsuit where he was accused of shielding convicted ex-priest Michael Baker.[45] In April 2021, Mahony was accused in a lawsuit of sexually molesting a teenage boy.[46][better source needed]
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| Preceded by | Cardinal Priest ofSanti Quattro Coronati 1991–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles 1985–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Roman Catholic Bishop of Stockton 1980–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by - | Auxiliary Bishop of Fresno 1975–1980 | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Bishop of Tamascani 1975–1980 | Succeeded by |
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