Replies

Domenico Bettinelli Blog Ping on the new Bishops and the trend developing...

The new bishops

A friend sends along the following thoughts on the new US bishops appointed by Pope Benedict this week. Bishop Walter Hurley will be going to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Bishop John Noonan will be an auxiliary in Miami.

Bishop Hurley was Cardinal Adam Maida’s point man on dealing with priests in Detroit who had to be removed for sexual misconduct. Check out this quote from the bishop during his ordination as auxiliary bishop for Detroit in 2003:

But the shadow of the year-long struggle to combat sexual abuse also hovered over the mass. At the end of the liturgy, newly ordained Auxiliary Bishop Walter Hurley spoke to the crowd on behalf of the three bishops and borrowed a page from Charles Dickens.

“While we recognize that the past year will be a defining moment in the history of the church, we are not prepared to acknowledge these are the worst of times,” he said. “We are, however, prepared to say without equivocation that these really are the best of times—for never have we been so aware of the need of the Lord and his presence in our lives.”

Over the past year, Hurley, 66, has served as Detroit Cardinal Adam Maida’s point man in dealing with abusive priests and was promoted recently, at least in part, because of his calm leadership in the midst of that crisis.

Ordained along with Hurley were Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn, 57, until recently Maida’s director of education.

Usually “director of education” is not a title that encourages my hope for someone’s orthodoxy, but Bishop Quinn is credited for bringing back a renewal of orthodoxy for Detroit’s seminary.

Bishop Noonan is also currently rector for a diocesan seminary, St. John Vianney in Miami. He, too, is considered to be orthodox.

We’re seeing an interesting trend where rectors of seminaries that have decent current reputations—Detroit, Philadelphia, Emmitsburg, Josephinum—have been promoted to bishop. It’s a trend that appears to pre-date the reign of Benedict XVI a little. What could this bode for the seminary visitation we’re supposed to see? What trend does it indicate for the American episcopate? We’ll have to keep watching.

Update: Well, I’ve been corrected. Bishop Quinn was not the rector of the Detroit seminary. My first correspondent actually said that Quinn “may have been involved” in cleaning up the seminary. In reality, most of the credit goes to Bishop Allan Vigneron of Oakland, who was indeed rector of the Detroit seminary.

My second correspondent says Bishop Quinn teaches a course at the seminary, is what he describes as a “moderate” liberal and is respectful of conservatives. He says that he’s a good man and intelligent, but no conservative. Clears that up.