Pope Names Gomez Official LA Archbishop

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope has made the changing of the Catholic guard in Los Angeles official.

On Tuesday, he named Monsignor Jose Horacio Gomez archbishop of the largest archdiocese in the United States. Gomez, a member of the orthodox Opus Dei movement, replaces Cardinal Roger Mahony, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 on Sunday.

Mahony has championed the fight for immigration reform in the U.S., but for many his career was tainted by the clergy sex abuse scandal in his archdiocese which resulted in a $660 million settlement with more than 500 plaintiffs.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)