The Papal Visit : Papal Digest : Pope Gets All Settled In at Rectory--and Mahony Has to Brown-Bag It

On the eve of the Pope’s visit, Archbishop Roger M. Mahony, leader of the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States, stood in the coffee shop of the New Otani Hotel waiting unceremoniously for a takeout order. He left carrying a brown paper bag with his dinner--a no-frills tuna melt sandwich.

Mahony, whose living quarters at St. Vibiana’s rectory have been turned over to Pope John Paul II for his two-day Los Angeles visit, explained that he was left meal-less Monday night when his entire staff had to leave the rectory for security reasons. As a result, Mahony said, he was dining alone inside St. Vibiana’s Cathedral.

At least he was able to get a good night’s sleep in spite of all the excitement (he slept elsewhere in the rectory). “I slept better last night than I thought,” Mahony told reporters Tuesday at the airport before the Pope’s arrival. “I knew it was all together.”