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Moderator: Good afternoon! Today we will be joined by Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony. We'll discuss challenges facing the U.S. Catholic Church as it enters the third millennium and anything else on your mind. This is the Cardinal's sixth annual online appearance and one of the highlights for the more than 32,000 attendees at the Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California.
Moderator: Good morning/afternoon, Cardinal.
Cardinal Mahony: Hi, everyone! How are we doing?
Moderator: Well, thanks. We're very glad you're joining us. Here's our first question:
Question: How do you keep track of all that is happening in the largest diocese in the US? Do you deal with much of the issues personally?
Cardinal Mahony: BLF: One depends on many, many folks to assist. Priests, laity, religious. Great collaboration. I deal with a lot of things personally, but with over 5 million Catholics, lots of folks help me.
Question: My question to the cardinal is about teens and religious ed--how do you keep teens interested?
Cardinal Mahony: Great challenge keeping teens interested. We need to have them know Jesus Christ in some personal way.
Question: Here in North Texas, the Bishops have issued a letter regarding Eucharistic Ministers washing the Cup after Mass. I noticed at the end that they are now to be "vested" again. Is this Letter on the national level or just North Texas?
Cardinal Mahony: It is up to the local Bishops to make those determinations. Vesting is a local issue.
Question: I'd like to know if the question of women priests is an "if" or a "when" issue?
Cardinal Mahony: The Church believes that it does not have the authority to make this change, that Jesus set up the Church in a certain way.
