Dolan named New York archbishop, replacing Egan

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, adefender of Roman Catholic orthodoxy who led an elite seminary forU.S. priests and became known for his energy, wit and warmth, wasnamed archbishop of New York on Monday.

The Vatican said Dolan would succeed Cardinal Edward Egan, 76,who is retiring as archbishop after nearly nine years. The post isthe most prominent in the American Catholic Church. Pope John PaulII called the job "archbishop of the capital of the world."

Egan welcomed Dolan at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Monday. Dolandid not speak, but beamed as he passed out Holy Communion.

"I've known him many years," Egan said. "And I told him how Idelighted I am to welcome this wonderful priest and bishop."

- Click here to see photos of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan with Cardinal Edward Egan today and through the years

- Click here to see photos of Cardinal Edward Egan through the years

Dolan said in statements issued by the two archdioceses that hewas "deeply honored" and "grateful for the confidence of PopeBenedict XVI," but sad about leaving Milwaukee. He pledged to theNew York faithful "my love, my life, my heart."

Parishioner Marian Roach was among those who attended themorning Mass at St. Patrick's at which Egan welcomed his successor.

"There's a fresh face, someone who will have to face thechallenges we have today," she said. "It will be difficult forhim. So we must have faith."

The New York archdiocese is the second-largest in the United States,behind the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, serving 2.5 millionparishioners in nearly 400 churches.

It covers a region from Manhattan to the Catskill mountains andincludes a vast network of 10 colleges and universities, hundredsof schools and social service agencies and nine hospitals thattreat about a million people annually.

Dolan's selection continues a chain of Irish-American bishopsthat was broken only once in the history of the archdiocese, whenFrench-born prelate John Dubois was appointed in 1826.

Yet, Dolan, 59, takes over at a time of growing diversity in thelocal church, with a sizable and growing Latino population in theNew York-area. He speaks Spanish, among other languages, and canpreach and celebrate the sacraments in Spanish.

When Egan became New York's archbishop, the archdiocese had anannual $20 million operating deficit. Egan closed or merged abouttwo dozen parishes as the Catholic population shifted to thesuburbs, where new schools were being planned. He said he wiped outthe budget shortfall.

On Sept. 11, 2001, and the days after the terrorist attacks, heled worship in St. Patrick's Cathedral for thousands of shaken NewYorkers. Last year, the cardinal hosted Pope Benedict XVI in hisfirst United States visit as pontiff, an event marked by festive crowds inthe tens of thousands.

But unlike many previous New York archbishops, Egan did notembrace the chance for a broad public role in the city. Somepriests circulated an anonymous letter in 2006, accusing thecardinal of arrogance and of ignoring the pastoral needs of priestsand parishioners. Egan called the complaints a "vicious attack."

Dolan was sent to Milwaukee under challenging circumstances. Hispredecessor, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, had abruptly retiredafter news broke that the archdiocese had paid a $450,000settlement to a man claiming Weakland tried to sexually assaulthim. Weakland admitted an "inappropriate relationship" but deniedabuse.

The Rev. Jim Connell, moderator of the Milwaukee PresbyteralCouncil, a panel of archdiocesan priests, called Weakland'sdeparture a "very sad and tragic situation" for local clergy. Buthe said Dolan reached out to them, distributing his e-mail andphone number and calling them on their birthdays, the anniversaryof their ordinations, or just to say hello.

A year after Dolan took the Milwaukee post, about a quarter ofhis priests signed a public letter saying that celibacy should beoptional for future clergy. Dolan disagreed, but did so withoutapparent bitterness, emphasizing how much he appreciated theclergymen and their work.

"This is the time we priests need to be renewing our pledge tocelibacy, not questioning it," Dolan wrote. "The problems in thechurch today are not caused by the teachings of Jesus and of hischurch, but by lack of fidelity to them."

Dolan began his path to the priesthood as a boy. A St. Louisnative and the oldest of five children, Dolan has said he would setup cardboard boxes with sheets to make a play altar in thebasement. He attended a seminary prep school in Missouri and, by1985, earned a doctorate in church history from The CatholicUniversity of America.

After working as a parish priest and professor, Dolan spentseven years as rector of the North American College in Rome,considered the West Point for U.S. priests, where he had studiedfor his own ordination years earlier.

He served briefly as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese ofSt. Louis before his 2002 appointment to Milwaukee, which servesabout 675,000 parishioners and 211 churches.

Dolan is an outspoken opponent of abortion, comparing the moralurgency of the issue to ending slavery. The American Life League,an anti-abortion group that has pressured Catholic bishops to speakout more forcefully on the issue, called Dolan "one of ourpro-life heroes."

However, he does not deny Holy Communion to Catholic lawmakerswho support abortion rights, nor does he single them out publicly.He has said he thinks each parishioner should decide whether he or she shouldreceive the sacrament. Every other year or so, he has invitedCatholic city and state officeholders for a daylong session onchurch teaching and public life.

Dolan had served as a point-person for abuse claims for severalmonths in St. Louis and was confronted with years-old unresolvedabuse cases in Milwaukee.

In 2004, he joined the minority of U.S. bishops who publiclyreleased the names of local diocesan priests who had been crediblyaccused of molesting children. The archdiocese posts the names onits Web site and updates the list when needed.

"Anything we can do to keep children safe, we must do," Dolansaid when he revealed the names. "Anything we can do to helppeople who have been victimized come forward, we must do."

However, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests hasaccused him of, among other things, failing to work more closelywith civil authorities to publicly identify accused clergy from theindependently governed religious orders who work in thearchdiocese.

In 2006, the archdiocese agreed to a nearly $17 millionsettlement involving abusive former Milwaukee priests who hadworked in California. Insurance covered half the claim, but Dolansaid that the archdiocese's share put its annual budget in the red,contributing to a $3 million deficit last year. Dolan had to cutabout a fifth of the jobs in the archdiocese. He said he hoped to sell a44-acre archdiocesan property, the Cousins Center, but the salestalled.

- Click here to see photos of Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan with Cardinal Edward Egan today and through the years

- Click here to see photos of Cardinal Edward Egan through the years