Dolan Is Surprise Pick to Lead U.S. Bishops’ Group

[Beau_Ouiville]

"BALTIMORE — In a close and surprising vote that affirmed a conservative direction for the Roman Catholic Church in America, the nation’s bishops elected Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York as their president on Tuesday, for the first time failing to elevate the vice president to the president’s post.

The vote cements Archbishop Dolan’s leadership of the American church. He is already the prelate of the nation’s most visible diocese, is comfortable in the news media spotlight and was selected by the Vatican to help conduct an investigation of the church in Ireland, which has been devastated by the sexual abuse scandal.

The bishops passed over their vice president, Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, a prelate who represents the more liberal “social justice” tradition of the American church and is known for advocating dialogue between Catholic liberals and traditionalists. Archbishop Dolan is a moderate conservative who is willing to put his affable and outgoing demeanor in service of a more assertively confrontational approach to the church’s critics. "

nytimes.com/2010/11/17/us/17bishops.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

 

[rlg94086]

An excellent choice by the Bishops!

 

[Elizabeth502]

Two earlier threads already opened in Catholic News. Moderators, please merge.

 

[Mark77]

**Great choice!

Let’s all pray for Archbishop Dolan & all the Bishops that they may do only the will of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ, at all times, no matter how difficult or unpopular!**

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

mark

 

[HCC]

Thank God!

And I will be offering a private Te Deum today for this great grace.:clapping::extrahappy:

 

[cyb]

An excellent choice by the Bishops!

I can’t echo this sentiment. While he may be a “lesser evil” than Kicanas, he’s not the strong defender of orthodoxy that many claim him to be.

He refuses to obey Canon 915; he does not refuse Communion (the source, center, and summit of our religion) to dissenting Catholic politicians. If he cannot protect the Blessed Sacrament, how can he protect his flock?

Dolan also just put 31 Catholic schools in NY on the chopping block to be closed.

Where are his priorities?

 

[Joe_5859]

I’m both surprised and not surprised at the same time. It is definitely a clear break from the tradition of going with the VP, but then Dolan seems a natural choice. He’s a very visible bishop and seems to be well-liked by most.

 

[Joe_5859]

I can’t echo this sentiment. While he may be a “lesser evil” than Kicanas, he’s not the strong defender of orthodoxy that many claim him to be.

He refuses to obey Canon 915; he does not refuse Communion (the source, center, and summit of our religion) to dissenting Catholic politicians. If he cannot protect the Blessed Sacrament, how can he protect his flock?

Dolan also just put 31 Catholic schools in NY on the chopping block to be closed.

Where are his priorities?

I’m feeling a bit spunky this afternoon, so I guess I’ll respond to this.

I would hesitate to accuse a bishop of “refus[ing] to obey” Canon Law. That implies willful disobedience on the part of a successor to the apostles, which I don’t think is fair or accurate. It would be more accurate to say that he interprets Canon 915 differently than you do (and, for the record, I personally agree with your interpretation of that particular canon). But then, besides Burke, how many bishops in the U.S. are denying Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians? The fact that the majority of them do not do this gives me pause. I think it is a most inaccurate litmus test to impose upon a bishop.

Second, it’s also unfair to put the onus for the school closings on Dolan. Catholic schools all over the country are closing. It has much, much more to to do with the fact that Catholics don’t tithe nor send their kids to Catholic schools as much as they used to. Bishops don’t make these decisions willy-nilly because they enjoy sticking it to the Catholics in the pew. They make these decisions with heavy hearts after much collaboration because it’s simply financially untenable to do otherwise.

 

[Inhimthroughher]

I’m feeling a bit spunky this afternoon, so I guess I’ll respond to this.

I would hesitate to accuse a bishop of “refus[ing] to obey” Canon Law. That implies willful disobedience on the part of a successor to the apostles, which I don’t think is fair or accurate. It would be more accurate to say that he interprets Canon 915 differently than you do (and, for the record, I personally agree with your interpretation of that particular canon). But then, besides Burke, how many bishops in the U.S. are denying Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians? The fact that the majority of them do not do this gives me pause. I think it is a most inaccurate litmus test to impose upon a bishop.

Those who “interpret it differently” do so at odds with the pope.

 

[canadianguy1143]

Those who “interpret it differently” do so at odds with the pope.

But if the Pope refuses to punish those who interpret it differently, then are they really at odds? If I make a rule in my house that curfew is at 11pm and it gets broken regularly, I know about it and do NOTHING to correct it, are they really at odds with me?

Correct me if I am wrong but when Pope Benedict was in the US while Pres. Bush was still in office, Pelosi and Ted Kennedy received communion.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

Correct me if I am wrong but when Pope Benedict was in the US while Pres. Bush was still in office, Pelosi and Ted Kennedy received communion.

When John Paul II offered Mass in Chicago in 1979, Mayor Jane Byrne received communion, too. If you want other instances.

 

[ArthurQArch]

Congrats to Archbishop Dolan!!! First time in a LONG time that something coming out of the bishops conference has excited me (at least in a positive way).