Roger Michael Mahony, the disgraced former Archbishop of Los Angeles who was implicated in covering up widespread child sex abuse within the Catholic Church, has been selected to play a key role in the burial of Pope Francis.
The controversial decision to allow Mahony to close the coffin of the late Pope has sparked backlash and renewed criticism of the Vatican’s commitment to accountability.
Mahony was removed from all public and administrative duties in 2013 after it emerged that he had actively shielded abusive priests in the 1980s. Despite this, he remains a member of the College of Cardinals and has joined others in Rome to honor Pope Francis.
This development follows the 2013 release of thousands of pages of documents by the Los Angeles Archdiocese, exposing a culture of concealment and the protection of clerics accused of molestation.
His reemergence in such a symbolic and sacred function during the Pope’s final rites at St. Peter’s Basilica has unsettled many faithful Catholics and reignited calls for deeper reforms in the Church's handling of abuse scandals.
Critics argue that Mahony’s presence undermines efforts at healing and justice, particularly for survivors of clerical abuse, at a time when the Church is mourning a pontiff widely seen as a reformer.
