People ask whether I am sad at moving to the new title of ‘Archbishop Emeritus.’ Absolutely not. My understanding of the Church is that Jesus Christ remains the heart and center of our Church, and we Bishops come and go down through salvation history. That is why the word ‘legacy’ as applied to Bishops and Archbishops is so far off the mark. We are not called to develop nor to leave ‘legacies,’ but rather, to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Gospels. We accept the Gospel, we try to live it out and to pass it on, and then we move aside so that the Lord might call others to continue the active work in the Vineyard of the Lord.” —Cardinal Roger Mahony Archbishop-emeritus of Los Angeles 28 February 2011
