Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles -- one of the most powerful Catholic leaders in the United States -- has been relieved of his public roles for covering up for sexually abusive priests, the USA Today website reports today (February 1, 2013).
Just hours after a court-ordered massive release of priest personnel files revealed the extent of Mahony's role in covering up for known sexual predators, Archbishop Jose Gomez announced last night that he has relieved Mahony of his remaining duties.
This is the first time this has occurred since the massive abuse scandal exploded in 2002 when there were direct repercussions for top church officials. In December 2002, Cardinal Bernard Law resigned his post as Archbishop of Boston when protesters and priests called for him to step aside.
"I find these files to be brutal and painful reading," Gomez said in a statement, referring to the newly released files made public by the church last night just hours after a judge's order. "The behavior described in these files is terribly sad and evil. There is no excuse, no explaining away what happened to these children."
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