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Archbishop's Positive Relationship With Immigration Issues Might Be Clouded By Mishandling Of Abuse Cases

Archbishop's Reputation Is On The Line
By 

Editor, Latino Voices

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Newly-appointed cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, of the United States, center, adjusts his biretta hat next to cardinal Roger Michael Mahony of the United States, left, and newly-elected cardinal, Archbishop of New York, Timothy Michael Dolan, of the United States, after being elevated in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. Pope Benedict XVI is bringing 22 new Catholic churchmen into the elite club of cardinals who will elect his successor amid signs the 84-year-old pontiff is slowing down. Benedict was presiding over a ceremony Saturday in St. Peter's Basilica to formally create the 22 cardinals, who include the archbishops of New York, Prague, Hong Kong and Toronto as well as the heads of several Vatican offices. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito)

On a Sunday night at Dodger Stadium in 1986, Archbishop Roger M. Mahony celebrated Mass in flawless Spanish. In an era when immigrants in Los Angeles were routinely derided as parasites and criminals, the archbishop told the crowd of 55,000 that whether they were born in Puebla, San Salvador or Managua, they were part of his flock.

"The Catholic Church is your home and I am your pastor," Mahony said.

But even as cheers of "Rogelio! Rogelio!" rained down from the upper decks, Mahony was covering up the sexual abuse of some of the most vulnerable in the church, including in his beloved Latino community, church records show.

Read more on LA Times

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