Cardinal Roger Mahony, the retired Archbishop of Los Angeles, will witness the sealing of the coffin of Pope Francis before a Vatican service that will include new papal funeral rites approved with simplified rituals meant emphasize his role as a humble pastor.

Cardinal Roger Mahony led the LA archdiocese for 25 years and was relieved of public duties by his successor, Archbishop Jose Gomez, in 2011.

Cardinal Roger Mahony has repeatedly apologized for his handling of clerical sexual abuse in Los Angeles. In 2013, internal church records revealed that he and his vicar for clergy failed to remove priests accused of abuse and cooperate with law enforcement in the 1980s.