ARTICLES
October 2002 ARTICLES
Contents © 2002
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
Circus
Mahony and Los Angeles Celebrate the New Cathedral
By Charles Coulombe
Although Cardinal Mahony has consistently billed his cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels as "the people's cathedral," the "people" were excluded from the three-hour-long dedication ceremony (as the cardinal called the consecration liturgy) on September 2, 2002. While such celebrities as former mayor Richard Riordan (barred from the sacraments on account of his attempted third marriage with Nancy Daly) and Eli Broad attended the ceremony, hundreds of others gathered in the sweltering 100+ degree-heat outside. A large number were simple Catholics who came to participate in the opening. These were turned away by the uniformed guards at the two temporary gates which blocked Temple Street.
Many of those gathered outside came to demonstrate both for and against the new cathedral. At 9:30 a.m., members of SNAP (Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests) and Voice of the Faithful demonstrated against the cathedral and the cardinal on the steps of the Los Angeles county courthouse on Hill Avenue. A printed release, authored by SNAP coordinator Mary Grant, was issued to the press. "This Cathedral," it said, "is a product of Cardinal Mahony's secrecy, lies and deception, a fortress built upon sand. Cardinal Mahony is concerned about washing the windows on the outside of the Cathedral while victims are concerned about cleaning out the inside of the Church from child molesters. The bible says, permit the little children to come unto me for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and they are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Mahony has destroyed God's temples with an abuse of power to build a temple to himself."
Lee Bashforth, 32, was among the bystanders. Bashforth and his brother are currently suing the archdiocese because they allege they were molested by Father Michael Wempe when they were boys. "That [Cardinal Mahony] would celebrate in such a self-glorifying manner the opening of the cathedral in the face of multiple, credible allegations about his complicity and coverup for high crimes against the children of the state of California speaks volumes about the priorities of this man," said Bashforth.
Another alleged victim, Jim Robertson, said, "[they spent] $200 million for a building and they couldn't come up with a fund first for all the [victims of clergy abuse]? They should be ashamed! This building is an ugly building and everybody in Los Angeles knows it's an ugly building. It's just a physical manifestation of the ugliness inside their heads. The church is in the hearts of all its members and concern for all its members is a basic premise of Christianity. These bastards! And the ones who weren't the perpetrators protected the perpetrators for fear of losing money. They have no shame."
This group then set out in a procession to a spot outside the cathedral.
On both Grand and Hill the gathering of the curious along with sign-carrying demonstrators made for a circus-like atmosphere. Among them stood Jeff Dietrich of the Los Angeles Catholic Worker with about a hundred demonstrators, most carrying signs protesting the money spent on the edifice. Dietrich, who has been serving the poor in downtown Los Angeles since the 1960s, said, "we're here to protest spending $200 million on a building when there are so many starving in this city. This shows badly misplaced priorities, to say the least; all they'll be doing for the poor is to give out 75 sandwiches twice weekly." Referring to the large number carrying signs reading "We Stand with Our Cardinal," and the like, Dietrich said, "the cardinal can turn out counter protesters. There are a plethora of infantilized laypeople that pay and pray and don't question the scandalous priorities of their clerical leadership."
Margaret Traxler, 40, a member of St. Monica's in Santa Monica, was protesting with the Catholic Worker. She said: "The average family income in this area is $10-$14 thousand a year, and yet we put in this huge cathedral where today the only people invited are the people who've given thousands or millions of dollars. And if that doesn't make a statement, I don't know what else does. Are we going to go back to selling indulgences? One of the things they've done is that they're selling paving stones from the front steps to the central aisle of the altar. If you don't have a lot of money, your brick is outside the door. If you have a lot of money, your brick is closer to the altar, and theoretically, closer to heaven."
Asked about the people supporting the cathedral, she said, "what bothers me is that some of these people are not wealthy, and I wonder if they understand that, so far, since the doors have opened, they haven't been welcomed inside."
Near the Catholic Workers stood Steven Carlson of Long Beach, a security guard by profession. Bearing a sign that read, "Execute Pedophile Priests," he said: "I'm representing Jesus Christ and the Bible. I'm trying to get people to get out of churches like the Catholic Church teaching false doctrine and get back to the Bible. I'm for the death penalty for pedophiles. It's horrendous. The corruption goes all the way to the cardinals who are protecting these guys.
"I'm what you'd call a fundamentalist street preacher," said Carlson.
The presence of a number of anti-Catholic folks, including a few from the Jack Chick group, explained sentiments of the pro-cathedral crowd. Maria, from South Central, was demonstrating in support of the cathedral. "We are here to protect our church," said Maria. "We don't mind if we are standing outside in this hot weather, because we want to protect our Church from all the people who don't want our Church. Cardinal Mahony is a good man. and I believe in him."
Another pro-Mahony demonstrator was Alfredo Sandoval, 29, from St. Albert the Great parish in Compton. "I think this is a time of rejoicing for us Catholic Christians to come out and celebrate what God has given us, because God has given us this cathedral," said Sandoval. "I don't understand why people are opposed to it. People talk about the amount of money that was spent. I'm not sure about the amount. But it was done by people who contributed with even pennies and dollars, like the widow in the Gospel, who was praised by our Lord Jesus Christ. If I were a millionaire, I would contribute with a $100,000 at least.
"I acknowledge what some priests have done," continued Sandoval, "but I think the media has portrayed it in the wrong way. It was not in such a great amount. They say the cardinal was covering up? I think that's bull."
This being Los Angeles, there was of course performance art -- a man dressed as a priest and a woman dressed as a bride, between them a plastic cross bearing the slogan, "marry the priest." The author of this production, Armenian-American artist Zareh Meguerdichian, said it was "dedicated to the victims of the sexual abuse. I don't belong to any organization. I'm doing the whole thing from my own pocket. I'm just trying to be helpful, you know? I'm making a suggestion: if most priests were allowed to get married, perhaps some of the problems with sexual molestation would not be as bad. Sex is natural, and when you suppress it, it's going to cause you a lot of physical and psychological problems. I have nothing against the Catholic Church or any religion. I don't attend church myself, but my family are Christians. This piece is just meant as a response to what's going on right now. This is a very positive message. I really, really believe in it."
As might be suspected, this message was displeasing to many of the onlookers. One of them shouted, "'Marry the Priest' is an insult! You're waving this in our face! You can't expect us to be happy with that!"
More controversy was sparked by Chris Fuentes, who wore a priest's suit and an enormous papier-mâché head of Cardinal Mahony. As he walked about the various groups of protesters, a band of pro-cathedral folk followed him, shouting. "Cardinal Mahony and Cardinal Law ran a virtual underground railroad for pedophiles," said Fuentes. "Mahony is the Harriet Tubman, if you will, of the predator priest movement. Then he hires Enron's PR people. That's why I call him 'Cardinal Spin.'"
Speaking of the pro-Mahony demonstrators, Fuentes said, "the cardinal has these people out here doing his bidding, which is the most cynical and most glaring abuse of his powers. They come up here and are hitting me and try to trip me."
There were also protesters from Concerned Catholics of America, who circulated a detailed description of the cardinal's various activities in defense of pedophile priests. It made rather grim reading.
All of these groups went their way, until, at last, the assembled dignitaries inside the building made their departures without having to see the people outside who, at last, dispersed.
The next day the cathedral was opened to Catholics. "On Tuesday, September 3, and thereafter, [the cathedral] became the 'People's Cathedral.,'" wrote Cardinal Mahony in the Friday, September 13, 2002 Tidings. "People literally claimed their new Cathedral as their own, and the numbers of people coming to Mass and to visit are beyond anyone's dreams. On September 3, some 1,500 people came for the 7 a.m. Mass; another 2,600 were at the 12:10 p.m. Mass. We estimated some 15,000 people visited the new Cathedral on its first day of public access."
This writer was one of those who showed up for the 12:10 Mass. Entering the cathedral, I noticed, over the main entrance, the statue of an androgynous figure with African features and close-cropped hair, which is supposed to be the Virgin. The great bronze doors at the entrance devote their upper halves to representations of various Marian apparitions; the lower portions are given over to symbols of non-Christian religions, including the Yin and Yang. Having passed through the doors, I entered a long hallway with empty niches which will one day become chapels. One of them already boasts the statue of Our Lady formerly placed upon the high altar at St. Vibiana's; another holds an image of Our Lady of Cobre, patroness of Cuba. The huge bronze tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament chapel is somewhat disturbing; when the doors are partly open, it resembles an Easter Island idol (complete with face) flanked by two angels patterned after the image over the entrance. Toward the end of the hallway, stuck into the wall, is a huge and beautiful Spanish baroque reredos, built in 1687 and sent to L.A. in 1930 for a proposed cathedral, which was never built.
At the entrance of the main "worship space" is a large baptismal font, the sole source of holy water for blessing oneself. The worship space is large and airy and is reminiscent of larger municipal auditoriums. Around the walls are tapestries of the saints, depicting them as ordinary people -- it was in fact people of the street whom the artist used as models. It is said that Richard Riordan serves as the prototype for one of them; to me it looked like St. Blaise. There are seats all around the place where altar, contorted crucifix, ambo, and cathedra are placed; in keeping with the cardinal's liturgical theories, there is no distinction between the sanctuary and the rest of the "worship space." Nor are there Stations of the Cross in the upper part of the cathedral.
In the crypt is the sarcophagus containing the relics of St. Vibiana. There are tombs of the archbishops, stained glass windows from the old cathedral, and, in one room, the Stations of the Cross.
The liturgy I attended was mildly high church, with decent music and some eucharistic reverence, though the chalice was of glass. The celebrant was Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik, the cathedral rector, who wore a large white chasuble. Cardinal Mahony sat in a seat near the altar in his cassock. Monsignor opened his sermon with, "do you like the new cathedral," in response to which the congregation applauded. He spoke of the saints in the tapestry coming toward the altar, from which we are fed. The Agnus Dei was interesing -- it was a Latin litany, invoking various titles of Christ. A mostly clerical army of eucharistic ministers appeared at various communion stations; one of these was the cardinal, although he did not don a stole. Most folk received in the hands. and there was thunderous applause afterwards.
Both the gift shop and café are first rate; the former features cathedral wines and some very good books.
But the democratic stance of September 3 came to an end the next day; the cathedral closed at 1 p.m. for an exclusive "Interfaith Service in Celebration of the Art and Architecture of the Cathedral." Offered only for high-ranking Catholics and non-Catholics, it served as prelude for the cardinal's personally conducted tour of the place for Governor Grey Davis. That evening, the governor was interviewed on Radio KNX 1070 of Los Angeles. "I happen to be Catholic, and my parish is Good Shepherd [Beverly Hills]," said Davis. He added that the cardinal intends for other groups besides Catholics to use the cathedral.
The following Wednesday, September 11, the elite of the city again gathered in the cathedral for an interfaith prayer service to remember the victims of the attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. In the main plaza of the cathedral complex, a large television had been set up so that those unable to secure a place inside would be able to watch the rites. Those who took their seats around the altar ranged from Mayor Hahn and Sheriff Baca to Lee Iacocca. Mistress of Ceremonies was Anjelica Houston, while Father Alexei Smith, pastor of St. Andrew's Russian Catholic Church in El Segundo, choreographed the event. The combined choir (under the direction of Charles Dickerson) included two Methodist choirs, two of the Seventh Day Adventist faith, one generic Protestant ensemble, and one college chorale.
The processional hymns -- Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and "From Sea to Shining Sea" -- ushered in a colorful cornucopia of magnates, various non-Christian hierarchs in their various robes, and Cardinal Mahony. They took their seats while the choir intoned "My Country 'tis of Thee" and "God Bless America." Anjelica Houston then offered an opening talk in which she said that the 9/11 attacks had been bad; that we were all saddened; that people of faith must stand together; and that this gathering showed the determination we all share. She then recited the words to the song, "Be Not Afraid." All the subsequent speakers echoed Houston's sentiments, but none of them mentioned Jesus as often as she did.
Rabbi Mark Diamond, executive vice-president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, then blew the shofar and called the faithful to prayer in Hebrew. Dr. Saleh Kholaki next chanted "Allah Akbar," the urging to prayer echoed by muezzins across the world. Simran Kaur Khalsa of the Sikh Dharma, then offered a prayer in her tradition.
The faithful having been summoned, it was time to read the sacred scriptures. Ariella Diamond of Temple Adat Ari El, proclaimed Psalm 27 in Hebrew. From Marymount High School, Michelle Youssef read the beatitudes from St. Matthew in English, followed by Samir Elkobaitry, who chanted the opening chapter of the Koran in Arabic. Then followed a moment of silence in memory of the victims of 9/11 and their families.
Louis Lebherz, the director of music for Corpus Christi church, then sang Richard Marx's "To Where You Are." Prayers were offered in succession by Venerable Walpola Piyanola, of the Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California, who urged us to show compassion in response to violence; Swami Sarvadevenanda of the Hindu Vendanta Society; and Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, the president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, followed with their prayers.
Following a choral selection, "Oh God Our Help in Ages Past," prayers resumed, each followed by applause. The Reverend Leonard Jackson of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church prayed for a new world where there will be no injustice; Dr. Maher Hathout and Ms. Khadija Abdullah of the Islamic Center of Southern California prayed to Allah that we all remain Americans; and Judge Dorothy Nelson prayed from the Bahai scriptures. Cheryl Aranda then sang her own composition, "One by One," whose lyrics offered guidance on making a better world. Cardinal Mahony then offered a prayer. Though he did not mention Jesus, the cardinal called upon God to keep us united in the faith we share.
All through these proceedings, people were allowed in from the outside to replace those who left; but this trickle turned to a flood when the next musical selection was offered: Burt Bacharach himself played the piano for "What the World Needs Now is Love." The audience were encouraged to sing the chorus, and Mayor Hahn joined in with gusto. This concluded, the important folk recessed to Boely's Fantasie in B-Flat Major.