Cathedral/13.5/dp1st/mark2nd
By JOHN BRINSLEY
Staff Reporter
With last week’s $10 million donation toward the completion of the $163 million Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Rupert Murdoch jumped into the ranks of L.A.’s most conspicuous philanthropists.
Called an “extraordinary gift” by Cardinal Roger Mahony, the donation by the chairman of News Corp. was by far the most money he has given to any L.A. cause.
And it was Murdoch’s biggest splash locally since acquiring the Dodgers in the spring of 1998.
“I hope I always keep a low profile in Los Angeles,” Murdoch said, with son Lachlan by his side. “But I hope my family and I will continue to contribute to charitable activities as we do.”
Despite owning the L.A.-based Fox Group, which includes 20th Century Fox studios, Murdoch has stayed out of the local spotlight in recent months since putting his L.A. mansion up for sale and making New York his permanent residence.
The $10 million donation by Murdoch, who isn’t Catholic, strengthened his already impressive connections with L.A.’s Catholic community.
Perhaps equally important, it may generate a good degree of goodwill toward the owner of L.A.’s most recognizable sports team, which plays near downtown an area many of the city’s most powerful leaders are promoting for revitalization.
Mahony, who has championed the cathedral’s construction as a potential economic engine for downtown, sought to put the donation in that context.
“The Murdochs have long recognized the importance of Los Angeles as a key city for the new century and millennium, and they are demonstrating in a significant fashion their commitment,” the cardinal said.
Until now, most of the money the media mogul has given locally has gone to political causes. He gave $1 million to the California Republican Party in 1996 and also donated $49,000 in 1997 to Mayor Richard Riordan’s campaign to rewrite the L.A. city charter.
The GOP donation was in keeping with Murdoch’s conservative politics, which he has championed on the editorial pages of his sometimes salacious tabloid newspapers.
The Riordan contribution was no doubt due in part to his personal friendship with the mayor, who has called Murdoch a soft touch for various causes. Last week, Mahony disclosed that Murdoch had given anonymously to various inner-city programs in L.A.
Last November, the Fulfillment Fund, which provides scholarships to students in L.A., honored Murdoch at its annual benefit gala.
Murdoch’s ties with the Catholic Church have continued unabated despite his divorce last year from his Catholic wife, Anna. Shortly before the divorce was announced, Mahony inducted Murdoch into the Order of St. Gregory, a papal knighthood that is the highest award the church can give lay people and which requires recipients to be of “unblemished character.”
Last week’s donation is specifically designated for the building of a conference center at the top of the cathedral complex parking lot and next to the cardinal’s residential quarters. The center and living quarters are scheduled to be complete by early 2001.
Construction of the cathedral itself is due to be finished by December 2001.
