VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Although he was relieved of public duties in his archdiocese in 2013, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, retired archbishop of Los Angeles, will have a role in the ceremony to bury Pope Francis.
While the 89-year-old cardinal remains “a priest in good standing,” according to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, his successor, Archbishop José H. Gomez, relieved him of “any administrative or public duties” after various investigations showed he failed to protect young people from abusive priests.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters April 24 that the choice of Cardinal Mahony to be among the few cardinals present when Pope Francis’ casket is sealed late April 25 and buried April 26 is simply “a matter of precedence in the orders of the College of Cardinals.”
College of Cardinals hierarchy explained
The college has a three-tier internal hierarchy: cardinal bishops, cardinal priests and cardinal deacons.
The cardinal bishops are 11 senior Latin-rite cardinals residing in Rome; one of them, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, is dean of the College of Cardinals.
Diocesan bishops make up the bulk of the rank of cardinal priests, while cardinal deacons are mostly officials of the Roman Curia.
Cardinal Mahony is a cardinal priest and has been a cardinal longer than the other cardinals of that rank. St. John Paul II named him a cardinal in 1991.
Cardinal Mahony to be present for papal funeral rites
For the ritual closing of Pope Francis’ casket, Cardinal Mahony will be one of eight cardinals present, according to information released April 23 by the Vatican Office of Liturgical Ceremonies. For the burial, he will be one of nine cardinals present.
Both rituals will be led by Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church, with Cardinal Re, the top-ranking cardinal bishop, and Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, the top-ranking cardinal deacon and retired prefect of the Apostolic Signature, a Vatican court.
Because he is over 80, Cardinal Mahony is not eligible to enter the conclave to elect a new pope. He is, however, invited to the “general congregations” or daily meetings of the cardinals to discuss the needs of the church.
The post Despite limits on ministry, Cardinal Mahony will have role in papal burial first appeared on OSV News.
