The long-celebrated champion of farm workers, who died in 1993, has been accused of “abusing girls for years,” according to the New York Times.
An annual Mass in the nation’s largest Catholic diocese honoring legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez will not take place this year after a bombshell report alleged that the activist sexually abused multiple girls at the height of his popularity decades ago.
The explosive allegations came on March 18 in an investigation by the New York Times, one that alleged that Chavez abused multiple young girls in a “pattern” of sexual misconduct for years.
The revelations sent numerous organizations scrambling to distance themselves from Chavez, who has loomed large in U.S. politics for decades, including being honored by President Joe Biden with a bust in the Oval Office during his administration.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said it would not be holding its regular Mass this year honoring Chavez’s legacy. The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels has held an annual Mass in March to acknowledge the advocate’s “commitment to the struggle for justice and dignity for all workers,” but an archdiocesan spokeswoman said the Mass would not take place in at least 2026.
“The Chavez family informed the archdiocese that they had decided not to move forward with having a Mass this year,” the spokeswoman told EWTN News.
The United Farm Workers of America, a labor union founded in part by Chavez, said ahead of the Times’ report that the allegations were “deeply troubling.” The group said it would “not be taking part in any Cesar Chavez Day activities” amid the controversy.
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