The USCCB's New President, Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New Tone, New Face, New Voice

New leader sees his role as a servant

Archbishop Dolan brings with him a passion for orthodox Catholic faith, firm conviction on the right to life from conception to natural death, and an unfaltering commitment to Christ and His Church. A trained theologian and skilled communicator, I fully expect the voice of the Catholic Church in America, through Dolan, to maintain a clear sound for the Catholic faith.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Last week Tim Drake of the National Catholic Register (NCR) made it clear that the election of a successor to Cardinal George was of supreme importance as the bishops meet in Baltimore for their Fall General Assembly.

"When the U.S. Bishops gather in Baltimore next week they'll be tackling a host of pastoral and social issues," he wrote, "but perhaps the most important thing they'll do is to choose whom among them will lead them as a body over the next three years. Who will set the tone, and be the public face and voice for the country's bishops?

"The big story next week will be, who shall lead them?"

The big story is now out and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York is the new president.

Breaking ranks from their normal practice, the bishops made history by electing someone other than the Vice President of the Conference, who this year was Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas.

Bishop Kicanas has been the subject of many articles leading up to the November meetings, with concerns expressed about his reported "softness" when it comes to issues of life and embrace of what are often called "progressive" issues in contemporary political parlance. These issues, along with the bishops' break with the past tradition, have been used to explain this election shocker.

Perhaps another explanation might be that the Holy Spirit is at work in His Church.

Catholics, particularly in the United States, have been beaten down in recent years with story after story on sexual abuse and other issues. News syndicates and outlets have put the Church in their sights and love pulling the trigger.

While not discounting for a moment the scandalizing of the faithful that has occurred, the new USCCB president will, no doubt, set a new tone, face and voice for Catholics in America.

Right after the election, we got a small glimpse of this in an interview with Telecare TV, the diocesan television ministry of Rockville Center that is televising the conference. Bearing his trademark smile, when asked about the election he said "I was very grateful. It was unexpected. The posture of the bishops, of course, is you don't really run for office, you run from it," he said with a laugh.

He went on to say that he had to make a few promises to get elected like providing donuts for the coffee break. (Another laugh).

He also spoke with Tim Drake of NCR, who asked about the unprecedented nature of his election. After talking about the nature of such elections, he ended by saying, "You might interpret this as the bishops are tired of short and skinny presidents."

However, don't expect the next three years to be merely a stand-up comedy routine. Dolan brings with him a passion for orthodox Catholic faith, deep conviction on the right to life from conception to natural death, and an unfaltering commitment to Christ and His Church. These have always framed his words and actions and will continue to do so into the future.

A trained theologian and skilled communicator, I fully expect the voice of the Church in America, through Dolan, to maintain a clear sound for the Catholic faith. He has consistently affirmed marriage as between a man and a woman and defended the family. He is a champion of the rights of the unborn and infirm and all of the poor. Efforts to put him in a political "box" continue. However, he is a strong admirer of Dorothy Day and a supporter of her cause.  

He is no stranger to the problems of sexual abuse, having faced the issue in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as well as in New York. During his time as Rector of the North American College he also saw the serious responsibility of the Church regarding the moral qualities of clergy.

In an interview with Zenit.org in 2001, he was asked about active homosexuals in the priesthood. "Are there some actively homosexual priests? Of course," he responded, "as there are some actively heterosexual ones".

"Sexual promiscuity among priests is sinful, scandalous and a violation, not only of purity, but also of integrity, as our people justly expect their priests to live out sincerely the principles they publicly preach.

"Seminary formators owe it to the Church to be vigilant. For one, they must never allow a man to be ordained who gives any evidence of tendencies to sexual immorality. Two, they must be very blunt in holding up to their men the clear expectations of Jesus and his Church."

Dolan also possesses a realistic attitude toward his new position. In an interview with the Catholic News Service, he stated, "I'm surprised, I'm honored, I'm flattered and a tad intimidated." He emphasized that his role is not as a "bishop of the bishops," but one who serves the interests of the bishops.

If you were to ask Archbishop Dolan about the election and that he is bringing something unique to the office, he would disagree emphatically, characterizing any differences among bishops as a matter of style.

During his interview with Tim Drake, he was asked to comment on one observation from Robert George that the bishops were looking for a strong and assertive moral witness. "Bishop Kicanas would be as committed to the ideals of our Catholic faith as I would be. 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."

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, 60, was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and was the oldest of five children. In an interview last year with the St. Louis Beacon, he stated "I can never remember a time I didn't want to be a priest."

He studied at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cardinal Glennon College and his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical North American College and the Angelicum in Rome.

Ordained a priest in 1976, he served as an associate pastor prior to doctoral studies at the Catholic University of America in Church History. Following his doctorate he returned to Missouri in 1983 for four years in pastoral assignments.

He was then appointed to the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington DC, and, in 1992, named as Vice-Rector of his alma mater, Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Having been raised to the rank of Monsignor, he served as Rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome from 1994 to 2001. On June 19, 2001 he was appointed as Auxilary Bishop of St. Louis by Pope John Paul II and was consecrated on August 15.

In 2002 he was named Archbishop of Milwaukee, the position he held until his appointment as Archbishop of New York in February, 2009.

The author of several books, Archbishop Dolan has hosted television programs and currently has a regular radio program on Sirius Satellite Radio.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online and the CEO/Associate Publisher for the Northern Virginia Local Edition of Catholic Online (http://virginia.catholic.org). He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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