April 05, 2006

Humble beginnings, steady climb, difficult assignment

CLEVELAND (OH)
Beacon Journal

Beacon Journal staff report
When Richard Gerard Lennon, the new bishop of the Cleveland Diocese, became apostolic administrator of the troubled Boston Archdiocese and its 2 million Catholics in 2002, he was a relative unknown, untainted by the sexual abuse scandal.

It was an unusually sensitive time -- he followed Cardinal Bernard F. Law, 71, who resigned amid accusations that he and other church officials ignored and covered up sexual abuse by priests.

Seeking to stabilize the church, Lennon was forced to take painful steps -- he cut the budget, sold church property, and closed and merged schools.

He was born on March 26, 1947, in Arlington, a working-class suburb of Boston.

Posted by kshaw at April 5, 2006 06:59 AM