Mahony Laments Mayor’s Remarriage

The day after Mayor Richard Riordan spoke glowingly of Nancy Daly, the longtime friend he plans to marry on Valentine’s Day (her choice, apparently), one of Riordan’s other longtime friends, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, issued an 81-word statement lamenting that decision in no uncertain terms.

“I am saddened by their decision to wed civilly,” Mahony said. “Although they remain members of the Catholic Church, their action compromises their ability to participate fully in the church’s sacramental life.”

Specifically, Riordan and Daly will be unable to receive Holy Communion at Mass--the linchpin of a practicing Catholic’s religious routine. They can, however, receive the last rites on their deathbeds (if they repent their remarriages) and they can have Catholic funerals and burials. (Witness the much-married Sonny Bono’s funeral.)

Also, they are still obligated to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. Mahony said in his statement, “I urge them, as I would all other Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who find themselves in similar circumstances, to continue to attend Mass regularly and to share in the life and the mission of the church.”

Only days before their wedding, Riordan and Daly, like numerous other Catholics, are bumping up against canon law.

Riordan’s first marriage--which produced five children--was annulled; his second ended in divorce. His Catholic fiancee’s 30-year marriage to Warner Bros. chief Robert Daly, which produced three children, also ended in divorce.

Riordan considers himself devoutly Catholic--he has a private chapel on the grounds of his Brentwood estate and says he goes to Mass regularly. He also donated $250,000 to St. Monica’s, the church to which he belongs, for earthquake repairs.

But neither such good deeds nor his other charitable acts exempt the mayor from the formidable rules of the Roman Catholic Church, which does not recognize the union of remarried divorced Catholics.

“He’s sad that he won’t be able to receive Communion, but he will still remain active in the church,” said his press secretary, Noelia Rodriguez.

Riordan was aware that the cardinal would say what he did. “He knew this was coming,” Rodriguez said. “He respects the cardinal for his position.”

At least Riordan isn’t doing this two decades ago. Then he would have been subject to excommunication. From 1884 to 1977--although only in the United States--Catholics were excommunicated for divorcing and remarrying. American bishops had adopted the extreme penalty out of concern that in a secular society Catholics needed a strong deterrent against violating church law.

But remarriage after divorce is still not taken lightly.

“Objectively speaking, a person who is divorced and remarried is living in a state of sin,” said Father Gregory Coiro, director of media relations for the archdiocese, who would not comment specifically on Daly and Riordan.

“The church does not recognize the authority of the state to dissolve a marriage. Jesus taught that a marriage cannot be dissolved. So when you’re still married to somebody else--in the eyes of the church--you can’t go off and marry someone else while your spouse is still living.”

Over the last few decades, annulments have become increasingly sought after among divorcing Catholics.

“It says what was presumed to be a marriage was not a marriage at all; some defect prevented the true marriage bond from taking place,” Coiro said.

An annulment can be sought on various grounds--non-consummation, lack of fidelity, fear of the partner, even an intention not to have children, Coiro said.

The mayor had his first marriage annulled in 1987, several years after marrying for a second time. He was separated from his second wife in 1992.

Because the church requires a civil divorce to have been completed before granting an annulment, Riordan, whose divorce is only now being finalized, is not yet eligible. In the past, he has called annulment “a very vexing issue.”

Until the ‘70s, it was even more vexing--a person had to apply to Rome for an annulment, which could take years. Now, Catholics can apply directly to a local diocesan marriage tribunal--though the process can still take more than a year.

The Vatican has set up a panel to look into expediting that process, said Father Thomas Rausch, chairman of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University.

Actually, at the moment, the mayor may have a slight civil roadblock to his marriage. His divorce decree appears to still be hovering in the chambers of Monterey County Superior Court Judge William Curtis.

“The judge has not signed the order. I don’t know how long he’s going to take,” the judge’s clerk, Lita Messina, said late Wednesday.

However, the mayor’s lawyer, Ron Anteau, said the proceedings were essentially over Monday.

“There’s no way on God’s green earth that this man is not divorced,” said Anteau, who noted that the judge said Monday that a facsimile document with a signature on it needed to be substituted with an original signature.

“That document was delivered to the judge late yesterday or early today,” said Anteau.

Presuming all the documents are in order, the mayor and Daly will be married Saturday at the house they own in Sun Valley, Idaho. About 30 of the mayor’s close friends and family are scheduled to attend.