CV NEWS FEED // Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony, who was stripped from his administrative and public duties in 2013 due to his cover-up of child sex abuse, was chosen to participate in the sealing of Pope Francis’ coffin and concelebrate the funeral Mass. 

An emailed press release from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles states that the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff requested Cardinal Mahony’s presence at the sealing of Pope Francis’ coffin.

Cardinal Mahony was appointed as Archbishop of Los Angeles by Saint John Paul II on July 12, 1985, and made a Cardinal on June 28, 1991. He retired at the age of 75 on March 1, 2011.

He stated that he was “stunned” by the invitation. 

“I was stunned and felt honored when I received the news to have been chosen for these special roles,” Cardinal Mahony stated in the release. “Pope Francis and I had a special friendship over the years, and we exchanged personal letters often.” 

The 89-year-old will not participate in the conclave because cardinals over 80 years old cannot vote for the new pope. 

In 2013, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez stripped Cardinal Mahony of his administrative and public duties after investigations showed that the cardinal had covered up the abuse of children in the archdiocese.

According to The New York Times, in 2007, the archdiocese paid $660 million in settlements to more than 500 abuse victims. In 2024, it paid $880 million settling claims from 1,353 people. 

“My predecessor, retired Cardinal Roger Mahony, has expressed his sorrow for his failure to fully protect young people entrusted to his care,” Archbishop Gomez wrote in a 2013 letter. “Effective immediately, I have informed Cardinal Mahony that he will no longer have any administrative or public duties. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry has also publicly apologized for his decisions while serving as Vicar for Clergy. I have accepted his request to be relieved of his responsibility as the Regional Bishop of Santa Barbara.”