OAKLAND (CA)
Contra Costa Times
By Randy Myers
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
OAKLAND - Bishop Allen Vigneron faced enormous and complex challenges during his first two years heading the Oakland Diocese.
He confronted 56 sexual abuse lawsuits that not only stained the 43-year-old diocese's reputation but also questioned the veracity of its former leaders.
He vigorously sought financial and emotional backing for building a distinctively designed $131-million cathedral near Lake Merritt in Oakland.
He united the faithful in prayer as a beloved and long-ailing pope entered the final stages of his life in April. Soon after he asked parishioners to join together again and pray for a successor.
As spiritual leader of the East Bay's more than half-million Catholics, Vigneron inherited a diverse slate of issues that showed the church at its best and its worst. He took over for Bishop John Cummins on Oct. 1, 2003.