Cardinal Mahony ‘Forgives’ Those Angry With Him Over Child Sex Abuse Scandal

Posted on Feb 17, 2013

AP/Reed Saxon

Cardinal Roger Mahony still doesn’t get it. In a blog post Thursday mostly focused on himself and his feelings, the disgraced former archbishop of Los Angeles who was deeply implicated in the cover-up of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church wrote that he has “experienced many examples of being humiliated” amid the scandal. Still, despite feeling sorry for himself, Mahony notes that he’s ready to forgive those who are angry at him over his role in concealing the rape of children.

From his blog:

Given all of the storms that have surrounded me and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently, God’s grace finally helped me to understand:  I am not being called to serve Jesus in humility. Rather, I am being called to something deeper—to be humiliated, disgraced, and rebuffed by many.

I was not ready for this challenge.  Ash Wednesday changed all of that, and I see Lent 2013 as a special time to reflect deeply upon this special call by Jesus.

To be honest with you, I have not reached the point where I can actually pray for more humiliation. I’m only at the stage of asking for the grace to endure the level of humiliation at the moment.

In the past several days, I have experienced many examples of being humiliated. In recent days, I have been confronted in various places by very unhappy people. I could understand the depth of their anger and outrage—at me, at the Church, at about injustices that swirl around us.

Thanks to God’s special grace, I simply stood there, asking God to bless and forgive them. 

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The level of narcissism and insensitivity displayed by the pedophile enabler shows just how far removed he is from reality.

As Andrew Sullivan summed it up: “He is forgiving the victims of child-rape, and those who speak up for them? Words fail. Anger overwhelms me.”

—Posted by Tracy Bloom.

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