Roger Mahony


Roger Michael Mahony

Cardinal
Archbishop Emeritus of Los Angeles
Cardinal Mahony in March 2006
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Los Angeles
AppointedJuly 12, 1985
InstalledSeptember 5, 1985
RetiredMarch 1, 2011
PredecessorTimothy Manning
SuccessorJosé Horacio Gómez
Other post(s)Cardinal-Priest of Ss. Quattro Coronati
Previous post(s)
Orders
OrdinationMay 1, 1962
by Aloysius Joseph Willinger
ConsecrationMarch 19, 1975
by Hugh Aloysius Donohoe, William Robert Johnson, and John Stephen Cummins
Created cardinalJune 28, 1991
by John Paul II
RankCardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born (1936-02-27) February 27, 1936 (age 88)
DenominationCatholic Church
ParentsVictor and Loretta Mahony
EducationCatholic University of America
MottoTo reconcile God's people
Ordination history
History
Priestly ordination
Ordained byAloysius Joseph Willinger
DateMay 1, 1962
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated byHugh Aloysius Donohoe (Fresno)
DateMarch 19, 1975
Cardinalate
Elevated byPope John Paul II
DateJune 28, 1991
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Roger Mahony as principal consecrator
George Patrick ZiemannFebruary 23, 1987
Armando Xavier OchoaFebruary 23, 1987
Carl Anthony FisherFebruary 23, 1987
Sylvester Donovan RyanMay 31, 1990
Stephen Edward BlaireMay 31, 1990
Joseph Martin SartorisMarch 19, 1994
Thomas John CurryMarch 19, 1994
Gabino ZavalaMarch 19, 1994
George Hugh NiederauerJanuary 25, 1995
Gerald Eugene WilkersonJanuary 21, 1998
Edward William ClarkMarch 26, 2001
Oscar A. SolisFebruary 10, 2004
Alexander SalazarNovember 4, 2004
Styles
Reference styleHis Eminence
Spoken styleYour Eminence
Informal styleCardinal
SeeLos Angeles (Emeritus)

Roger Michael Mahony KGCHS (born February 27, 1936) is an American cardinal and retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 1985 to 2011. Before his appointment, he served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Fresno from 1975 to 1980 and bishop of the Diocese of Stockton from 1980 to 1985.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Mahony was ordained to the priesthood in 1962. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Fresno in January 1975 and consecrated bishop in March 1975. Mahony was then appointed bishop of Stockton in 1980. In 1985, he was appointed archbishop of Los Angeles by Pope 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 the papal conclaves that elected Popes Benedict XVI and Francis.

During his tenure as Los Angeles archbishop, Mahony was instrumental in dividing the archdiocese into five administrative subdivisions and in guiding the construction of the Cathedral 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 Church sexual 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 the mandatory retirement age for bishops and was succeeded by Archbishop José Horacio 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.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference apology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Cardinal Roger Mahony passes leadership of L.A. Archdiocese to Jose Gomez" Retrieved: 2011-02-27.