Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, recently criticized by a national Catholic panel for his legal tactics in sexual abuse cases, received a vote of confidence this week from the Los Angeles Council of Priests, an elected body representing the Roman Catholic archdiocese's 850 clergymen.
In a resolution passed unanimously earlier this week, the council praised Mahony for consistently showing "great concern for the protection of children" and for fighting to preserve secrecy on personnel files of priests suspected of child sexual abuse.
"Cardinal Mahony has shown a consistent desire to protect children, while at the same time has been solicitous that no priest's reputation be ruined by irresponsible or utterly unsubstantiated allegations," according to the resolution that was sent to each cleric in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
The clergy's show of support is an important victory for Mahony, who has been chastised nationally by a wide range of critics for his handling of molestation cases.
When 58 Boston-area priests signed a letter calling for Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation in December 2002, the prelate stepped down three days later.
Father Timothy E. Nichols, head of the Los Angeles council whose 20 members are elected by archdiocesan clerics, said the resolution was initiated by priests concerned with the increasing criticism of the cardinal. Mahony, who is formally the council's president, did not ask for the vote and was not present during the discussion, he said.
"We felt it was time to take a position to stand with him and behind him," said Nichols, pastor of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights.
A spokesman for Mahony said the cardinal had no comment.
The archdiocese is facing lawsuits by about 500 people who said they were molested by 225 Los Angeles priests. The Los Angeles County district attorney's office is conducting a criminal investigation that it says is being hampered by Mahony's lack of cooperation.
The vote of confidence angered victims' advocates and others who said it was the latest evidence of the deep-seated culture of secrecy and coverups within the Catholic Church.
"Boy, that's depressing," said David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests. "But I guess it shouldn't be surprising. In a medieval culture, you swear loyalty to the king. It reflects a real culture of timidity."
