Bishop O'Malley to be named Boston archbishop

Palm Beach Post ^ | June 30, 2003

[maryz]

BOSTON (AP) - The bishop who ushered a Massachusetts diocese through one of the most explosive clergy sex abuse cases before leading the Palm Beach diocese through its own troubles was expected to be named archbishop in Boston, according to news reports.

Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley was the likely successor to Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in mid-December in the midst of the clergy sex abuse scandal rocking the church, said John Allen Jr., a reporter for National Catholic Reporter, an independent newspaper that covers the Roman Catholic church.

Allen, who made his comments in interviews Monday with CNN and other broadcast media, did not cite his sources. A senior Vatican official told The Associated Press that an announcement to name a successor was "imminent," and could come Tuesday or Wednesday. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said O'Malley has been one of several candidates under consideration.

O'Malley, who turned 59 on Sunday, has cleaned up scandals in two dioceses _ Fall River, and most recently, in Palm Beach, Fla., to which he was appointed only last year and where two previous bishops were implicated in sex abuse scandals.

He was in Fall River, in the southeastern part the state, for a decade. While there, O'Malley was credited with establishing a model system for dealing with sexual abuse accusations against priests, which include referring victims to social workers unaffiliated with the church and conducting background checks for all employees and volunteers.

O'Malley went to Palm Beach, assuring parishioners that his background is free of scandals and accusations and that he planned to implement at least some of the policies he started in Fall River.

"The whole church feels the pain of this scandal and is anxious to try to bring some healing and reconciliation to our families and communities that have been so shaken by these sad events and by the mishandling of these situations on the part of the church," O'Malley said in September 2002. "I see there are great needs here and I will do my best to meet those needs."

O'Malley was born in Lakewood, Ohio, and served as bishop in Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, before his transfer to Fall River in 1992.

In the 1970s, he ran the Catholic Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C., served as vicar for the Hispanic, Portuguese and Haitian communities and headed the church's Office of Social Ministry.

He laid down new policies in Fall River in 1994 after the Rev. James Porter pleaded guilty to molesting 28 children and was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison.

Under O'Malley's system, abuse victims are referred to a social worker unaffiliated with the church. The social worker has a group of mental health and legal professionals that sits as a review board to decide what kind of action could be taken against the priest and what kinds of services are needed to help the victim.

In 1995, the Diocese of Fall River said, O'Malley made it mandatory that any priest, seminarian, employee or volunteer whose position involved access to children take part in an abuse prevention workshop, complete a detailed questionnaire about his or her past, and agree to a criminal records check. More than 17,000 employees and volunteers have met those requirements, the diocese said.

In the Porter cases, the diocese paid for therapy, medication and residential treatment for the victims.

As news spread that O'Malley could be tapped to succeed Law, lawyers for hundreds of victims who have sued the archdiocese spoke highly of his abilities to heal the widening rift in the church.

"There could never be a better person in the country to have this job and to try to bring about real healing in the archdiocese of Boston," said Roderick MacLeish, one of the lead lawyers in the lawsuits against the church. "He is just a very compassionate humble person who will act quickly to resolve these cases."

Luise Dittrich, a spokeswoman for the lay group Voice of the Faithful, said the group that had called on Law to resign would welcome O'Malley if he were named to the archdiocese.

The sex abuse scandal had gripped the archdiocese for more than a year, leading to thousands of pages of personnel files to be released that detailed a range of misdeeds by clergy, and Law had become viewed as more interested in sparing the church scandal that preventing abuse.

"Boston has been the crucible of the sexual abuse crisis and it is an archdiocese in great disarray with a lot suffering in the last 18 months," she said. "We're very aware of how great the challenge is here in Boston and altogether we need to develop new and inclusive ways to heal."

Copyright 2003, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

[maryz]

Can we possibly be this lucky???

[sinkspur]

Cleaning up the abuse scandal is the top priority in selecting a bishop for Boston, and O'Malley speaks down-east, doesn't he?

[sitetest]

Dear sinkspur,

This is Catholicguy's bishop. I don't think he's going to be too happy.


sitetest

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

No Such thing as luck. Can you be that blessed? It would appear so, if reports are true. What do we know about O'Malley's theological leanings? God Bless

[JohnnyZ]

"He is known for wearing his friar's robes in place of more formal wear, is a strong on pro-life and adherance to Church teaching" - from DailyCatholic.org

[JohnnyZ]

WOW! Now THIS looks great!

More than a mere ultra-conservative, the Diocese of Palm Beach's next leader, Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, has taken his beliefs beyond the pulpit. Among other things, he doesn't just rail against abortion but urges Catholics to vote against pro-choice candidates, likening them to "the KKK without the sheets." from CatholicEducation.org

Bishop O'Malley wrote an introduction to a book by his fellow Franciscan, Fr Benedict Groeschel, CFR, The Reform of Renewal, a book which dealt with the need to recover authentic Catholic worship and practice after some vagaries in the 1960s and 70s.

One recent year, Bishop O'Malley was unique among New England bishops in hesitating to relax abstinence (from meat) regulations when Saint Patrick's Day fell on a Friday of Lent -- he eventually did join his fellow bishops in relaxing those regulations for that particular day of that particular year.

He has been a participant in the Boston pro-life walk each October.

These three data are mentioned as fairly strong indications that Palm Beach is about to receive the gift of an impeccably orthodox, authentically Catholic bishop. Which they greatly need. (Another little-known fact about Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley : he's Irish ! ) link

[ninenot]

Given the posts above, it seems that Boston will be twice-blessed: a solid Roman Catholic Archbishop with a good track record in cleaning house.

The liturgy item is particularly encouraging.

[maryz]

impeccably orthodox, authentically Catholic

Ah, you did your own research -- thanks!

I seemed to recall good things about O'Malley (when he was up in Fall River), but specifics eluded me -- and I'm at work, so am continually interrupted (!) and couldn't search more.

[maryz]

A local conservative Saturday morning talk radio host (who is Catholic and lives in the Fall River diocese) was wildly enthusiastic about O'Malley -- the topic came up when O'Malley was sent to Palm Beach.

I just hope the report that he's coming to Boston is true!

[sinkspur]

Here's the article from the NCR:

Pope to name Palm Beach's O'Malley as new archbishop of Boston

By John L. Allen Jr.
Rome

Bishop Sean O'Malley, a Capuchin Franciscan with a strong track record of responding aggressively to priest sexual abuse, will be named the new archbishop of Boston this week, Vatican sources told NCR. The appointment will likely be announced on Tuesday, July 1, but could come later in the week.

O'Malley, who turned 59 on June 29, is currently the bishop of Palm Beach, Florida.

The Boston archdiocese has been managed by an interim administrator, Bishop Richard Lennon, since Cardinal Bernard Law's resignation on Dec. 13, 2002. Given that Law had become the leading symbol of the American sex abuse crisis, the Boston appointment has been one of the most anticipated in the history of the American Catholic Church.

In O'Malley, John Paul II has tapped a popular pastor, known familiarly as "Bishop Sean," and an experienced leader on the sexual abuse crisis.

O'Malley was appointed to lead the Fall River, Mass., diocese in 1992, amid the scandal surrounding Fr. James Porter. O'Malley won high marks for meeting with victims and establishing strict guidelines for screening priests, church employees and volunteers.

It was that reputation that led to O'Malley's appointment in Palm Beach one year ago, where two bishops had resigned in five years under the weight of allegations related to the sex abuse crisis. Local sources say O'Malley has been effective in restoring a measure of credibility and stability to the diocese.

O'Malley is also known as a conservative on doctrinal questions, and a champion of the church's social justice tradition. He is regarded as an affable, approachable pastor, generally popular with parishioners.

O'Malley is a member of the Capuchin branch of the Franciscan religious order, and often wears his brown Franciscan habit. He is also one of the few American bishops to sport a beard.

O'Malley was born in 1944 in Lakewood, Ohio. He holds a master's degree in religious education and a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese Literature, both from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he taught from 1969 to 1973.

In 1973 he began serving as Executive Director of Centro Catolico Hispano in the Washington Archdiocese before being named Episcopal Vicar for the Hispanic, Portuguese and Haitian communities and Executive Director of the archdiocesan Office of Social Ministry in 1978.

He was ordained Coadjutor Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in 1984 and the following year became ordinary of the Caribbean diocese upon the retirement of his predecessor.

In June 1992 Pope John Paul II announced the appointment of O'Malley to the Diocese of Fall River.

In 1998 O'Malley was appointed by the pope to the Synod of Bishops for Oceania, which was held at the Vatican from November 22 to December 12. He has also served as apostolic visitor for several seminaries in Central America and the Caribbean.

Vatican sources say O'Malley's appointment will most likely be announced on Tuesday, July 1, but it could come later in the week.

John L. Allen Jr. is NCR's Vatican correspondent. His e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org

[Desdemona]

Congrats. This is a great move.

Maybe the pope is more with it than people out there think.

[american colleen]

!!!!!

He is great!

I was just telling my kids that one Sunday when we go to Mass we might bump into him if he is going to be our bishop. He used to visit (with no fanfare) all the parishes in the Fall River diocese and say Mass.

I feel bad for CG - that diocese was torn apart and it doesn't seem quite right that O'Malley was only there for a short time. WIsh he were here to give us his impression of Bishop O'Malley.

[ThomasMore]

He did a great job up in the Fall River diocese. I hope this is true. I don't think he minds where they ask him to go. He will be a very good shepherd for the archdiocese of boston. Some of the priests there must be shaken.

[ThomasMore]

He goes incognito to visit all the parishes while mass is being celebrated. Those who play with the liturgy find out right away. What does that tell you.

[maryz]

He sounds better and better!

Thanks for the info.

[NYer]

Bishop O'Malley (in his younger days)

"We are witnessing in our time a remarkable change
in the way people communicate with each other
and access information.
At the heart of this change are computers
and the Internet.
Their use is growing at rapid speed,
especially by our younger people.

It is clear that to follow the words of Jesus
in the Gospel of St. Mark,
“Go into the world and proclaim the Gospel
to every creature” (Mark 16:15),
the Church must use all available means of communications
to reach her people in the New Evangelization.

Most Reverend, Sean Patrick O'Malley, OFM Cap.

[NYer]

Capuchin Origins - American Beginnings

St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi

They burst into the thirteenth century like a pair of exploding stars. They turned the values of their time upside-down. In a time of continuous war, they were people of peace. In a time of greedy acquisition, they were people of simplicity. In a time of self-glorification, they were people of humble service.

Their dream of how to live the gospel radically altered religious life. Religious would no longer live exclusively in the monastery cloister. The world became the Franciscan cloister!

Francis' and Clare's dream did not die with them. It reached down through the centuries to our present day, nurtured by people who caught the fire of their dream and re-enkindled it in dreams of their own. Capuchin-Franciscans have striven to be that type of people since our founding in 1528. As a community of brothers we hope to be the guardians and renewers of the ideals of Francis and Clare today.

[sinkspur]

Chaput's a Capuchin, too, I believe.

The Caps are going high-profile.

[B Knotts]

This bishop sounds very good!