Opinion piece

If Cardinal Mahony is indeed for open borders, I will have to respectifully disagree with him.

A country has the right to protect itself from aliens who could damage it.

However, once the illegals are in this country, the Church or faithful Catholics cannot be compelled to become informers for the state. They also can't tell us who we can help. They also can't tell us who and who we can't welcome into our churches.

I think the piece is mean-spirited and I disagree with most of it.

As a prince of the Church, I think Roger Cardinal Mahony deserves more respect than the author gave him, regardless of his disagreements with the Cardinal.

As for abortion -- I don't think he's soft on it, at least not more than any other US bishop. When I lived in his diocese he was known for supporting the work of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants, including leading a rosary/march and "encouraging" his auxiliary bishops to do likewise.

On border issues -- I tend to agree with the Cardinal, and also with my former ordinary Bp. Kicanas back in Tucson. I think you'll find the bishops of the states bordering Mexico are pretty much in accord on the issues; Cdl. Mahony is hardly "further left" than the rest (including Bp. Olmsted of Phx.). You might want to check out the statement by the Arizona Catholic Conference on migration (http://www.diocesephoenix.org/acc/PDF/You%20Welcomed%20Me%20(2).pdf)

Cardinal Mahony cares more about his "image" as a "moral leader" than anything else. The Catholic bishops' views about immigration haven't changed, yet you don't see any American cardinal thrusting himself into this issue the way Mahony has. Remember, this is the same man who said that if his archdiocese had the same number of clerical abusers as Boston, then he would resign. Well, L.A. has more cases pending than Boston did, so we know Mahony lied. This is also the same man who responded to the crisis in L.A. by hiring a P.R. firm. This is the same man whom Gov. Frank Keating compared to a Mafia capo in his refusal to implement the review board's guidelines. This is the same man who has failed to cooperate with legitimate legal requests for records.

I'm sorry, but Mahony is a self-serving, corrupt man preening for the media. He's only been able to get away with his shenanigans because Rome (in its own bout of terminal misfeasant stewardship) has not seen fit to discipline him.

Thank you, Gordon Zaft, I tend agree to agree with your assessment of this article. Living in California, it makes perfect sense to me that the Cardinal is raising his voice. I only wish more American Cardinals would join him.

"once the illegals are in this country, the Church or faithful Catholics cannot be compelled to become informers for the state. "

Why not? Explain to me why a bishop who knows a priest buggered an altar boy can be compelled to inform the state but a bishop who knows a man has violated our immigration laws cannot be compelled to inform the state.

Cardinal Mahony is entitled to his opinions about immigration law but they are merely his opinions. As a US citizen and a Catholic he is bound to obey American law except where it conflicts with God's law. The state has the authority to regulate immigration.