Boston gets Palm Beach's new bishop

Sean Patrick O'Malley made most short lists of possible successors when Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston last December, but one practical problem made the choice unlikely.

Only weeks before, on Oct. 19, O'Malley had been installed as bishop of Palm Beach, a diocese that badly needs some stability after the resignations there of the two bishops in a row who confessed to child molesting.

But the dire situation in Boston took priority, and Pope John Paul II on Tuesday named O'Malley to head the Boston Archdiocese.

Boston will be the third abuse cleanup assignment the pope has handed O'Malley. Besides Palm Beach, he was dispatched in 1992 to Boston's neighboring diocese in Fall River, Mass., to overcome one of the worst U.S. Catholic abuse cases, this one involving the Rev. James Porter.

Upon his installation, O'Malley will become the sixth archbishop of Boston, but never has one begun his work under such difficult conditions. In addition to the hundreds of legal claims by alleged victims, and the unresolved issue of what to do with two dozen accused priests, the archdiocese faces the prospect of closing schools and parishes in the wake of declining participation in Mass, a shrinking number of priests, and a dramatic plunge in the church's fundraising as a result of both the weak economy and the pall of the abuse crisis.

O'Malley referred to this moment in archdiocesan history as "this very difficult time," and said of his own career, "The path has never been easy, but today it seems overwhelming."

The choice of O'Malley, 59, might mollify Catholics who are aggrieved over bishops' performance in the sex abuse scandals.

"He comes with the ability to hit the ground running" because of his experience in Fall River and Palm Beach, said the Rev. Thomas Reese of the Jesuit magazine America, a veteran bishop-watcher. "People will recognize him as a very credible person who will work fast to clean up the mess in Boston."

Philip Lawler, conservative editor of the Catholic World News Web site, said O'Malley was his own favorite because his humility "comes through very clearly. He'll find a welcome in Boston that a lot of other bishops wouldn't."

The Linkup, an abuse victims' group, said O'Malley is considered someone "capable of restoring credibility" but must still heal unparalleled rifts with local lay Catholics and victims.

In Fall River, O'Malley referred victims to social workers not linked with the church, mandated abuse prevention training and criminal background checks, and paid for therapy for victims.

Writing to his Florida flock in mid June, O'Malley apologized to abuse victims, vowed to immediately report all allegations to police and to offer "full cooperation" with investigations.

"There will be no coverup," he said.

When he was named to Palm Beach, O'Malley said, "The whole church feels the pain of this scandal and is anxious to try to bring some healing and reconciliation to our families and communities that have been so shaken by these sad events and by the mishandling of these situations on the part of the church."

O'Malley acknowledged that the stakes in Boston are high, calling the number of victims and the potential cost of settlements "staggering" and said he also wants to protect "the essential elements of our mission, especially our mission to give people the good news of the Gospel, and to serve the poor, the sick and the marginalized."

In an apparent effort to show what he meant, O'Malley met in the afternoon with a group chosen by the archdiocesan office that handles outreach to those who allege harm by clergy.

"In a very short period of time he listened to a lot of heart-wrenching stories and it affected him," said Rodney Ford, the father of an alleged victim of abuse by the Rev. Paul R. Shanley.

Victims who attended the meeting said O'Malley apologized to them, and prayed, reciting the "Our Father" with the group.

"He's only been here a couple of hours and he's already talking with the victims," said David Lyko, 44, of Dracut, an alleged victim of the Rev. Joseph Birmingham. "If he makes some changes, I'll be in the first pew and I know I won't be alone."

The bishop is staunchly orthodox in doctrine, a proponent of priestly celibacy and an antiabortion regular at the annual March for Life in Washington.

In a pre-election statement last fall he told parishioners that despite strong "tribal allegiances" to the Democratic Party, he "will not vote for any politician who will promote abortion or the culture of death, no matter how appealing the rest of his or her program."

Until taking charge in Fall River, O'Malley was known as a worker among Catholic immigrants who could hear confessions in five languages.

After earning a doctorate in Spanish and Portuguese literature at the Catholic University of America and teaching there, he worked for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., as director of the Catholic Hispanic Center, vicar for the Hispanic and Haitian communities and head of the social ministry office.

He was named coadjutor bishop of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in 1984 and bishop there in '85.

A member of the Capuchin Franciscan religious order, O'Malley wears the simple, brown robe of his order and sports a beard, also common among the friars.

O'Malley was born in Lakewood, Ohio. He attended St. Fidelis High School in Butler, Pa., and remained at St. Fidelis Seminary to begin preparation for entering the Capuchin order. He also studied at the Capuchin College in Washington and holds a master's degree in religious education from Catholic University.

- Information from the Associated Press and the Boston Globe was used in this report.

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