Cardinal Mahony to play role in papal burial rites

The 89-year-old is due to attend the closing of the pope’s coffin and burial.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, will be a controversial participant in Friday’s ceremony to close Pope Francis’ coffin, and Saturday’s papal burial.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, pictured at Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles, California, in 2010. Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) via Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0).

The 89-year-old cardinal, who in 2013 was briefly relieved of administrative and public duties in the LA archdiocese by his successor in office over his handling of abuse cases, will be among eight cardinals required to attend the April 25 rite in St. Peter’s Basilica to close the pope’s coffin, and the April 26 interment at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major after the pope’s funeral Mass.

Mahony will attend the ceremonies at St. Peter’s and St. Mary Major in his capacity as a cardinal-priest, the second of the three ranks of cardinals. He is among the oldest cardinal-priests, whose ranks are more numerous than those of the cardinal-deacons, who are below them in seniority, and cardinal-bishops, who are above them.

CNN reported that a Vatican spokesman said Mahony was the most senior cardinal-priest available, as others were unable to participate.

While Mahony was benched by LA’s Archbishop José Gómez over allegations of covering up abuse, the cardinal was soon after declared to be in good standing in the archdiocese, “with full rights to celebrate the Holy Sacraments of the Church and to minister to the faithful without restriction.”

The “clarification” from Gomez reportedly came after Vatican intervention on Mahony’s behalf.

Abuse survivor advocates previously criticized Mahony’s presence at the 2019 installation of Cardinal Wilton Gregory as the Archbishop of Washington.

Mahony, who led the LA archdiocese from 1985 to 2011, has been accused of impeding police investigations of clerical abuse in the 1980s.

He has apologized for mishandling cases, saying in 2013 that he had “remained naïve myself about the full and lasting impact these horrible acts would have on the lives of those who were abused by men who were supposed to be their spiritual guides.”

A Catholic organization collected thousands of signatures in 2013 in protest at Mahony’s participation in the conclave that elected Pope Francis. He will not vote in the 2025 conclave as he is over the age of 80.