For Antonio Villaraigosa, Catholicism is not so much a set of rules and rituals as it is a culture and tradition. It is how he grew up--"I was an altar boy for four years," he mentioned recently--as well as a source of some conflict for him today.
About religion, he said: "You don't pick them. I was born a Catholic."
FOR THE RECORD
Los Angeles Times Friday June 1, 2001 Home Edition Part A Part A Page 2 Zones Desk 1 inches; 24 words Type of Material: Correction
Wrong location--A Sunday story on mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa's religious background gave the wrong location for Holy Family Church. It is in South Pasadena.
Villaraigosa calls himself a practicing Catholic even though he goes to Mass no more than about a dozen times a year (as opposed to the prescribed 52 Sundays plus Holy Days) and disagrees with some of the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
In fact, he said, he finds himself more at home with Judaism's tenets. "It's a very accepting religion," he said. And in those cases where Villaraigosa's convictions clash with those of his faith, he unfailingly picks personal belief over church doctrine.
Church officials realize many Catholics have problems with some of the church's teachings, but they frown upon so-called cafeteria Catholics who follow one rule and ignore another.
This is a church rooted in centuries-old traditions and rules. Priests and nuns must never marry, and only men are admitted into the priesthood. The church considers abortion murder in most cases and does not recognize divorce.
Villaraigosa, who fully participates in Mass and receives Communion, is open about his problems with the church in which he was raised.
"I'm strongly, strongly pro-choice," he said in one of several recent conversations about the role that religion plays in his life. The former Democratic Assembly speaker also said he believes women should be allowed into the priesthood and that priests should not be forbidden to marry.
"Asking our priests to be celibate, we're missing a whole opportunity to bring into the flock of our priesthood people who want to be married," Villaraigosa said. He is also troubled by "some of the church's teachings on sexuality with respect to gays and lesbians."
Former Altar Boy Acknowledges Failings
The former altar boy was no altar boy when it came to some aspects of his life. As a teenager, he got kicked out of Cathedral High School. As a single man, he fathered two children, each with a different woman. As a married man, he has committed adultery.
However, when confronted with his transgressions--or sins, as some would be called--he has confessed, at least to the public.
