Cardinal Mahony deposed in LA molestation suit - KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports

Cardinal Mahony deposed in LA molestation suit

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LOS ANGELES (AP) - Disgraced California Cardinal Roger Mahony has been deposed in a lawsuit over a fugitive ex-priest suspected of molesting as many as 26 children in Los Angeles in the 1980s.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Mahony's closed-door deposition on Saturday was about Father Nicholas Aguilar Rivera, who fled the country in 1988 as he was being investigated on multiple charges of sexual abuse.

Attorney Anthony De Marco is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on behalf of one of Aguilar Rivera's alleged victims. The now-defrocked priest is believed to be hiding in Mexico.

Mahony, who retired as Los Angeles archbishop in 2011, has faced criticism over his handling of sex abuse allegations. Last month, Archbishop Jose Gomez stripped Mahony of his remaining public duties on behalf of the Archdiocese. A petition being circulated by the group Catholics United has called for Mahony not to take part in voting for the next pope. He has said no one will force him to recuse himself.

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