LOS ANGELES 03-Sep-99 (CWNews.com) - Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch donated $10 million toward the construction of a new $163 million cathedral complex in downtown Los Angeles, according to a newspaper report on Friday.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper said Murdoch, chairman of the international conglomerate News Corp., made a donation from his family foundation toward the building of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles called the donation "an extraordinary gift" and said the money will be set aside for the cathedral's conference center.

"As the only place of worship in central Los Angeles, the cathedral will serve the people of southern California as a whole. Although it is being built to assist the Catholic Church, it will clearly serve as a center for many ecumenical, interfaith, and cultural endeavors," Murdoch was quoted by the Times as saying.

Although Murdoch was raised as a Presbyterian, his wife and children are Catholic and the couple was recently awarded a papal award for philanthropy.