Mahony Accepts Resignation of Powerful Church Official

Los Angeles Archbishop Roger M. Mahony, in one of his first acts as leader of the nation’s largest archdiocese, has accepted the resignation of a powerful church official who has long held the Catholic archdiocese’s purse strings.

It was learned Thursday that Mahony told about 800 priests at a dinner Wednesday night that he has accepted the resignations of three chancery officials, including that of Msgr. Benjamin G. Hawkes, who was a commanding figure under both Cardinal James Francis McIntyre and Cardinal Timothy Manning.

Msgr. John A. Rawden, the chancellor, and Msgr. Clement Connolly, Manning’s personal secretary, will step down also, but several priests who attended the dinner at the archdiocesan seminary in Mission Hills said it was the resignation of Hawkes that represented the key announcement.

“It’s going to be a different world,” said one veteran monsignor who did not wish to be identified.

Another priest, who also insisted on anonymity, contended that many were disappointed when Hawkes maintained his authority during the Manning term. “It appeared that Manning gave Hawkes authority to make all the financial decisions,” he said.

Over his long tenure, Hawkes has succeeded in building the Los Angeles archdiocese into one of the wealthiest in the nation. However, he has also been criticized both inside and outside the church for what has been described as an arbitrary style in handling decisions affecting personnel and finances in the archdiocese.

One recent such decision involved the threatened closing of Cathedral High School in Chinatown. Under the plan the school would be sold to development interests from Hong Kong for a price estimated to be between $8 million and $14 million. The plan sparked a controversy among parents of students, who claimed they were being sacrificed for the financial welfare of the archdiocese.

However, at the Wednesday night dinner Hawkes was praised by Mahony for his contributions as financial manager for the three-county archdiocese. And Hawkes has been supported by priests from relatively poor parishes which benefited from funds from the chancery, which often arrived without being asked.

Hawkes was unavailable for comment Thursday but in a 1982 interview he dismissed the notion that he was feared. “I have lots of friends,” he said during a long interview three years ago. “Who is it that is complaining? It’s not the lay people. It’s a few disgruntled priests . . . who think they could do a better job of running (the archdiocese).”

But a veteran monsignor who has worked in the chancery office for years asserted that a “dynasty” was perpetuated from the McIntyre era to the Manning tenure with Hawkes at the head.

One priest said he “was absolutely overjoyed” at Mahony’s announcement Wednesday and added that a colleague told him that the new archbishop “had to do it” within hours of his taking official control of the archdiocese to establish a positive rapport with the priests.

Mahony reportedly said he would appoint new people within “several weeks” for the key jobs at the Catholic chancery offices on 9th Street. He said he will ask the Priests’ Senate to suggest some names for the vacated posts.