New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan was elected the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Tuesday, Nov. 16. The election of Archbishop Dolan broke from precedent that held that the vice president of the bishops’ conference, in this case Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas, would succeed the outgoing president, in this case Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, in a vote that would be more of a formality. Archbishop Dolan addressed questions from the media gathered there shortly after his election.
What would be your chief priorities as president of the conference, in the Church and society?
Candidly, I haven’t had time to think about it. Frankly, I was surprised by the election of the bishops. I have immense regard for my predecessor, Cardinal Francis George.
I think what I can safely say is that probably my major priority would be to continue, with all the vigor that I can muster, what’s already been put in place. It’s not like — thanks be to God — we’re in crisis. Things are going well.
Can you address health-care and the possible funding of abortion in the health-care reform bill?
I am highly appreciative of the summary that Cardinal Francis George gave yesterday, which was downright eloquent. I admired the way he handled it.
The bishops of the U.S. are in somewhat of a delicate position in that we have been promoting comprehensive health care, but it wasn’t comprehensive, in that a precious part of those deserving care — those being unborn babies — weren’t receiving it. The bishops were cogent in expressing that.
Cardinal George was so articulate — as was Pope John Paul II — in telling us that although we’re political in the best sense of the word, we’re not partisan. The bishops of the U.S. are not partisan; we are pastors and teachers.
Did you speak with Bishop Kicanas after the election?
I did. I thanked him for his service and told him I held him in high regard.
He told me, “I’m with you all the way.” My one regret is that I’ll have to give up leadership of Catholic Relief Services.
Can you comment on the unprecedented nature of your election, and if there was any outside pressure on the bishops for whom to elect?
Bishop John Carberry was vice president and not elected president. This seems to be somewhat of a surprise.
When I received a letter that my brother bishops had nominated me, I was surprised. I don’t know how to interpret it. It was hardly a landslide election. I can remember three years ago, when Bishop Kicanas beat me for the vice president slot by one vote.
I take it that the bishops don’t like the idea of anyone being a shoo-in.
You presume that we’re sitting around thinking about these things. Most bishops are laudably absorbed in the activities of their own dioceses. When they get here, they take the election seriously.
As to an outside campaign, that wouldn’t be anything new. There’s always been some controversy surrounding the elections. I’ve felt the heel of blog attacks. The bishops bristle if they feel there’s any undue pressure from the outside.
You might interpret this as the bishops are tired of short and skinny presidents.
Robert George has said that it’s a signal from the bishops that they wanted a strong and assertive moral witness, more than they were looking for the dialogue and mediation coming out of the [late Chicago Cardinal Joseph] Bernardin approach.
Robby George is one of my heroes. I don’t know. When you speak about the leadership of bishops, you speak about style.
Bishop Kicanas would be as committed to the ideals of our Catholic faith as I would be. George is bringing up that there is a difference in style.
When I came to New York, I was interpreted quite the opposite — as a congenial and conciliatory kind of guy. You can’t win. I mean it when I say that we don’t sit around thinking about it.
Maybe what George was getting at is that there are many issues that Catholic social teaching can be a witness on. Is this about which issues you’re going to press on? Are the bishops signaling an interest in issues of life, abortion and marriage?
We bishops would bristle at the characterization that there are some bishops who tend to be more pro-life and family issues while others tend to the social-justice issues.
I don’t think that characterization would apply to Bishop Kicanas and myself. I once invited him to speak to one of our town meetings. He addressed pro-life, education, and marriage and family. I don’t find that kind of caricaturing to be accurate.
Are there other bishops who you view as a role model?
Bishop Edwin O’Hara, who I wrote my dissertation on. He was an immensely effective bishop. I’m wearing the pectoral cross of Cardinal John O’Connor. He has been a hero of mine, and my appreciation of him has only grown. He had a pastoral heart and sidewalk savviness, but was as cogent and compelling in preaching faith and morals as anyone.
Register senior writer Tim Drake filed this report from Baltimore.
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Great work Tim! I wish our mainstream media were as prepared, probative and fair in questioning our national leaders as you were with the Archbishop ..
When you compare this article and Archbishop’s Dolan’s actual words to what the NY Times wrote and who those to quote, it makes it every so apparant how slanted the secular press is.
Besides, they miss the best part. “You might interpret this as the bishops are tired of short and skinny presidents.” Pristine Dolan!
The USCCB couldn’t have made a better choice. I really admire Archbishop Doaln. It makes me wish that I still lived in New York.else13
Praise be Jesus Christ!
Wonderful news. Archbishop Dolan is not afraid to proclaim the fullness of our Catholic Faith. I believe he will be understood by all who listen. May God bless him!
dear bishop Dolan: Congratulations and God bless you nd your work.We think very highly of you in our church.
Archbishop, soon to be Cardinal, Dolan, is a new American Catholic hero. His stand-up to the NY Times will go down as a defining moment, I’m willing to bet, and when his name comes up as a possible successor to Pope Benedict, as it surely will, we will look back to this day and the day he took on the Times. God bless you, Archbishop Dolan! Carry on the fight. La lutte continue!
I pray that among his priorities will be to take measures that stop priests from having sex. No sex outside of the sacrament of marriage for anyone, MOST especially ordained men.
Not with anyone. Not with a woman OR with another man. Most certainly not with any underage male or female.
No sexually active priests at all. Please make it a priority - and insist that your “brother-bishops” do the same.
Thank you, USCCB for choosing Archbishop Dolan as President, Excellent choice. I’m so happy to see that the bishops and archbishops of America are only liberal in a very small minority.
thanks be to God!
We are witnessing an awakening of the American people who are returning to their faith and to the foundational principles that have made our nation such a great defender of religious freedom and inalienable human rights. May God continue to bless and guide Archbishop Dolan in his important work here in New York and, happily, at the USCCB.
What you seem to miss is how slanted the NCR and other Catholic media is. For instance the church calls anti-choice pro-life, while consistently supporting legislation that is anti-life. So quite calling the kettle black.
“It’s not like-thanks be to God-we are in crisis.”
Our Lady of Fatima, Please help us!
Can you not discern the signs of our time?
“It’s not like-thanks be to God-we are in crisis.”
Our Lady of Fatima, Please help us!
Congratulations to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who became the new President of the USCCB yesterday! I am very glad that he was elected. He has always been very congenial and very candid. He is our metropolitan bishop. (I’m from Connecticut.)I am certain that Archbishop Dolan will serve his brother bishops well, and that he will continue to do good works so vitally important in defending our Catholic Faith.
praise God for Archbishop Dolan. I’ve heard him speak before at an “evangelical Catholic” conference. He seems like a great leader. Lord Jesus, give him your heart as he leads the USCCB. Amen!
“I think what I can safely say is that probably my major priority would be to continue, with all the vigor that I can muster, what’s already been put in place. It’s not like — thanks be to God — we’re in crisis. Things are going well.”
Really, Bishop Dolan? REALLY??
yes
Nancy D. and JR: I agree with you. Why are people so readily fooled by Dolan?
Hey MarkC (first commenter), this wasn’t Tim’s interview. He’s only reprinted this Q&A from Dolan’s press conference. Tim wasn’t even there. IT WAS the mainstream media that asked all these well-prepared, probative and fair questions.
I consider Bishop Timothy Dolin to be a liberal from what I have witnessed to date. When he talks about comprehensive healthcare, he does not mention a word about rationing health care, i.e., NO HEALTHCARE to seniors, mentally ill, disabled, etc. in addition to abortion funding. Would Jesus deny the rights of one segment of the society for the sake of another group of law breakers (illegals) who are not in this country looking for asylum (a few hundred) or a job but rather have broken the law with illegal entry by the millions…..conservative numbers in the 40 million range. Moreover, statistics have proven that they left a job to waltz into this country. This is considered an invasion not a helping hand to those in need. The American people have cared about and provided for the needs of the poor both at home and abroad for many years. American people are now unemloyed and the jobs are going to the illegal invaders that are costing the taxpayer billions of dollars to provide free healthcare benefits, welfare, housing, food, etc. If we, Americans invade Mexico, will we get the same treatment? No. We would be sent to jail and that is where the illegals in this country belong! I pray that the liberal bishops would give up their opulent residences and live in a tent like the unemployed AMERICAN families are forced to do and then tell us that they support amnesty….WE will not become a North American Union nor will we tolerate a One World Government and a one world central Bank! The church has failed Mexico, Central and South Americas and now is siding with atheist leaders of the USA driving this country to Socialism and a one world order to benefit the selected few! Bishops, “Show your compassion for the unemployed American who supported you for years!” Furthermore, stop funding Saul Alinsky organizations that support abortion with our contributions. Shame on you, Bishops!
Yo, Dolan, did I hear you say there are no problems? Let me count the ways….
no vocations, radical feminist nuns, 31 Catholic schools closing in your archdiocese, CCHD money scam, their support of abortion, etc., Catholic workers underpaid to the point of poverty, Bad Liturgy left uncorrected, disrespect for the Eucharist, lack of belief in the Eucharist, “pro gay marriage Catholic groups”, Gay Jesuit agenda, disloyalty to the Pope, clerical rebellion, bankrupt dioceses due to scandal payouts, generations lost from the True Faith, etc. etc. Right on, Dolan. All is well. Sleep tight.
I am not a Priest,nor did I want to become a Priest.I now discontinue the work that I completed in the past.I wish the Priesthood well,and hope the leadership of the Catholic Church improves.In closing I wish all those paid
to serve Jesus Christ well.I will send no further E-Mails or mailings.
Thank You
Christopher Teesdale
Congratulations, Archbishop Dolan. We are moving in the right direction, and with increasing speed. To the two or three naysayers in the mix: Yes, things are going well. Not perfect, but moving in the right direction. if you don’t like the direction, you’re on the right train. Just get your heart and head turned right.
Hey Andrew,
Thanks for pointing out that it was the MSM who asked these challenging questions of the Archbishop.
Now I’d like to see them examine our current crop of national leaders, R’s AND D’s, just as vigorously ...
No softballs please for our spineless, special-interest compromised, soundbyte tested leaders.
I would love to see the faces of those who don’t believe that Archbishop Dolan is liberal when indeed they actually discover the truth!.....He was endorsed by Cardinal George from Chicago who is probably one of the most liberal Cardinals in America. Cardinal George overlooked his counterpart for the key position of President of the USCCB, the vice president of the USCCB, Archbishop Kicanas from Tuscan, AZ who emphatically supports amnesty! I have to laugh because few see this whole business of the hierarchy of the church as just that….a business! (Not what you know, but who you know and bribe nowadays!) The Liberal Bishops are die hard democrats even when they (the democrats)lie and deceive the public!
PRAISE GOD!
Andrew and Mark C - I was indeed there, sitting in the front row. The questions were asked by a variety of mainstream and Catholic media.
i love this post….!!!
its is so awesum…….i ws lost in a trance while i ws readin it……
gr8 wrk !!!!
source: Urdu Poetry
Excommunication:391,512
United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
Descendants of Cain and Seth
GENESIS 4:17-26
The New American Bible
Let me start by saying that I am a Roman Catholic and that I have NEVER been a fan of the Rev. Al Sharpton. That said I want you to know that the Rev. Sharpton has put to shame every man and woman of the cloth and shown them what they should be doing when he recently broadcast his radio show from among the Wall Street Protes-
ters. The middle class and the working poor have finally woken up to the fact that we are being screwed in every way possible by corporate America, the American government and the 1% in this country who control all the money. Now, we are fighting for our very existence because they want to take away our pensions, our health benefits and our RIGHT to organized labor unions and where are YOU, the Catholic Church and the POPE ? You’re all sitting in your tax exempt palaces, churches and residences (in the best neighborhoods in town) living like kings, saying Nothing ! If the Founding Fathers were to walk the earth today they would be in jail for starting another revolution. If Our Lord were to walk the earth today He would make the time He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple and whipped them seem like a Sunday picnic and He would be in jail along with the Wall Street Protesters. SHAME on you, the POPE and every other man and woman of the cloth for not speaking out in defense of us and joining these protesters! Don’t tell me that you don’t get involved in politics because EVERYONE in the world knows that you and the Pope do!
@ Kurt S. Leeb
Are you aware that the most elite of the elitists are behind the protest at Wall Street, for example, George Soros, Bill Gates, Bush,Sr, Bush, Jr, the Clintons, Kissinger, Marseille Strong? Are you aware that the UN Agenda 21 program is of their making? On online and look up UN Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development and you will realize that this agenda is well on its way in this country and has infiltrated almost everytown in America. Are you aware that this disgusting protest is to bring down Capitalism and then, my dear brother, we will all be submerged into poverty, drug addiction, unemployment, unable to defend ourselves from tyranny at its worst..called Communism. You had better pray that Our Lord, Who knows everything is about to bring down the unrighteous, the evildoers as He did in Noah’s time and in Sodom and Gomorah.
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