At the "installation" of Wilton Gregory as archbishop of Washington this afternoon, eyebrows were raised when disgraced Cardinal Roger Mahony was spotted near disgraced Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the sanctuary.
Roger Mahony in 2011 while still archbishop of Los Angeles |
Tweeted by Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein, it is a telling sign of where the Archdiocese of Washington is headed. Following his step down from public ministry in Los Angeles in 2013, at the request of Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, Mahony has been very selective on his public appearances. He attended the "installation" of like-minded Bishop Robert McElroy in 2015.
Boorstein posted numerous other photos from today's Wilton Gregory liturgy, which appeared to be an absolute circus in the otherwise semi-conservative Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. From jokes, applause and a gospel choir inside, to drums and charismania outside, these are things the basilica shrine in DC has largely avoided until now.
At least there was no sign of Mister Theodore McCarrick.