BOSTON (MA)
MetroWest Daily News
By Frank Mazzaglia/ Columnist
Sunday, April 9, 2006
Nobody could have done it better than Bishop Richard G. Lennon! Those who know him best will tell you that Cleveland's new Bishop Lennon has a spine of steel but a gentle heart and an overwhelming love for the Church he serves.
It was in the middle of the full-fledged sexual-abuse crisis that the Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bernard Cardinal Law and simultaneously appointed Bishop Lennon as the apostolic administrator of the Boston Archdiocese. Under the glare of flashing cameras, for four grueling months it was Bishop Lennon at the helm. Fielding questions from a hostile press, and working through complicated legal matters while awaiting the selection of a permanent archbishop from the Vatican, he stood alone but firmly in charge. This is what happened next.
On July 30, 2003, Rome announced that Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley was the pope's choice to serve as Boston's next archbishop. As a sign of his wisdom, the new archbishop quickly recognized Bishop Lennon's value and appointed him as moderator of the Curia and Vicar General. In that role, Bishop Lennon served essentially as the chief of staff but not as the chief executive. The chief executive was the archbishop.