Disgraced American cardinal, Roger Michael Mahony, who once covered up a major child sex abuse scandal, has been chosen to close the coffin of Pope Francis, a decision that has stirred outrage across the Catholic world.
Mahony, the former Archbishop of Los Angeles, was stripped of all public and administrative duties in 2013 after it was revealed that he played a key role in shielding priests accused of molesting children during the 1980s.
Despite this, he remains a member of the College of Cardinals and has joined others in Vatican City following the Pope’s passing.
Mahony’s involvement comes after the Los Angeles Archdiocese, the largest in the United States released thousands of pages detailing years of abuse and cover-ups.
His selection to perform such a symbolic act in the burial rites of Pope Francis has raised fresh questions about accountability within the Church, especially as thousands continue to mourn at St. Peter’s Basilica.
