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	Irish-Born Bishop Named Head of Dallas Diocese By Matt Curry Houston Chronicle [Dallas TX] March 6, 2007 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4606778.html Admitting he knows so little about Dallas that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the airport, Irish-born Bishop Kevin Farrell stood in an ornate downtown sanctuary Tuesday and introduced himself as the new head of the 1 million-member diocese. "At this particular moment, this is my dream job," Farrell, 59, said to applause from a small group of parishioners at Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe. Farrell acknowledged the diversity of the Dallas diocese, 10th largest in the nation, and spoke in Spanish several times. About half the members of the diocese are Hispanic. Farrell replaces Bishop Charles Grahmann after a 17-year tenure marked by major membership growth and scandal over sex abuse. He offered his resignation in July when he turned 75, the normal retirement age for bishops, and it was accepted Tuesday by Pope Benedict XVI. Farrell was ordained into the priesthood in 1978 and assigned to the Washington, D.C., archdiocese in 1983, where he was ordained as an auxiliary bishop in 2002. His duties involved administering the archdiocese's sexual abuse policy for members of the clergy, employees and adult volunteers. He has met with 84 people who have alleged incidents of abuse. "Certainly I believe there is zero tolerance for anyone who harms a child. I cannot emphasize that more," Farrell said. "I believe the church has done more than any other institution over the last few years to protect children." The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which applauded the departure of Grahmann, also was critical of Farrell. "Unfortunately, Farrell's diocese has worked very hard to beat back efforts at legislative reform that would give child sex victims the chance to expose predators in court," said a statement issued by David Clohessy, national director of SNAP. Farrell, who served six years in Mexico, declined to announce any specific plans concerning his leadership. He said he would first have to get to know the area and its people. "It was a great surprise to me when I was informed I was going to come to Dallas," he said. Farrell said he looks forward to working with ecumenical leaders and civic officials to "build a community that truly respects the dignity of every human person." Grahmann's attention to the region's burgeoning Hispanic population has drawn praise. But his service was also marked by criticism for his handling of priests' accused of child sexual abuse. In the 1997 civil trial of Rudolph Kos, who molested altar boys at three Dallas parishes, a Dallas County jury decided that Grahmann and other church officials were "grossly negligent" and tried to cover up the abuse in its aftermath. The jury awarded $120 million to 11 victims, although the diocese later settled for about one-fourth of that. Kos is now serving a life sentence. Grahmann has said the priest abuse was symptomatic of problems plaguing the wider culture. Asked to review his ministry, Grahmann said Tuesday that he has a deep love for the area's Hispanic population and wishes he had done more for them. He said his future plans may include service in some poor areas of the world, though he was not specific. Farrell was born in Dublin, Ireland, and first visited the United States in 1967. He has served as director of the Spanish Catholic Center, an agency of the Archdiocese of Washington that provides assistance to immigrant communities, and has been assistant executive director and interim director of Catholic Charities. Farrell, who is also fluent in Italian, serves on the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. His brother, Bishop Brian Farrell, is on staff at the Vatican. He will be officially installed during a May 1 service at the Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe.
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