Milwaukee Archbishop Introduced As Cardinal Egans Successor, NY1, February 23, 2009

Milwaukee Archbishop Introduced As Cardinal Egan's Successor

NY1
February 23, 2009

http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/94390/milwaulkee-archbishop-selected-to-lead-new-york-archdiocese/Default.aspx

[with video]

Edward Cardinal Egan and Archbishop Timothy Dolan embrace during a morning Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral today.

New York's Catholics got their first look Monday at the man who will succeed Edward Cardinal Egan as Archbishop of New York.

Cardinal Egan introduced Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, 59, at a news conference on the East Side, following a Mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral.

Dolan, who said he already feels at home in New York, said he pledges his "life, heart, and soul" to the city's observant.

"I pledge to you this morning my life, my heart, my soul, and I can tell you already, very sincerely, that I love you very much," he said. "I need so much your prayers and your support. I am very honored, humbled, and happy at the prospect of serving as your pastor."

The St. Louis, Missouri native also offered friendship to members of other faiths and reached out to the Latin community, speaking in Spanish.

During the nearly 45-minute news conference, a congenial Dolan spoke about his love of the Yankees, and said that while he has a lot to learn, he is confident he can do the job.

Earlier in the day, the Vatican announced that Dolan was chosen by the pope to succeed Egan as the head of the New York Archdiocese. Egan, 76, is retiring after nearly nine years at the post.

"I wrote him a note some time ago when I learned that he was going to be my successor and I started the note by saying, 'the Holy Father has chosen well,'" said Egan of the new archbishop.

Dolan will be installed at Saint Patrick's on April 15th.

"Archbishop Dolan has come here to New York and will be installed as the shepherd of this archdiocese to strengthen us in our faith, lead us in prayer, and guide us in works of justice, compassion and peace, all of this strengthening our belief," said Egan, who has served as head of the archdiocese for the past nine years.

The 59-year-old Dolan has served as Milwaukee's archbishop since 2002.

He also served as rector of The North American College in Rome and is chairman of Catholic Relief Services, the church's international aid agency.

He has been credited with trying to heal his local church after it was hit hard by a sex abuse scandal.

Dolan is also an outspoken opponent of abortion, though he does not deny communion to Catholic lawmakers who support abortion.

During his remarks Monday, he said that he would be willing to engage in discussion with President Barack Obama's administration over historically controversial topics like embryonic stem cell research.

After Mass, Egan and Dolan were guests on Sirius XM radio, where they each praised the work the other was doing.

"He did a splendid job as rector. I worked with him and we had a very good time together and I was delighted to know that the Holy Father was going to be naming him to New York," Egan said.

"I just need to learn," said Dolan. "And the cardinal's already started the tutoring, and a lot of reading, a lot of listening, a lot of meeting people. You can't go wrong with just listening to your priests and your people. It sounds pretty much now like the greatest mission I have is to continue the excellent the vitality and the growth and the progress of the Archdiocese of New York."

Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling says Dolan brings a lot of experience and personality to the job.

"I think first of all that he's a real churchman," said Zwilling. "He's given his life to the service of the church. Whether informing priests, whether being an auxiliary bishop, a parish priest head of his own diocese, he's been a real man of the church. I think they're going to see that come through. I think they're also going to find he's got a very warm personality, and I think people will like him."

Dolan will become the 10th archbishop of the State of New York. His selection continues a chain of Irish-American bishops that has been broken only once in the history of the archdiocese.

With the announcement of Dolan, Cardinal Egan is effectively retired as archbishop of New York, though he will continue to run the archdiocese until Archbishop Dolan is installed.

Egan, who will turn 77 in April, will serve as what's known as the apostolic administrator.

"He will be able to do some of the writing and some of the appearances he hasn't been able to do because he's devoted himself so completely to running this archdiocese," explained Zwilling. "He will also do whatever Archbishop Dolan wants him to do, whether it is performing confirmations in parishes or representing him at different things "

Egan turned in his letter of resignation as required by Canon law when he turned 75. He has been New York's Archbishop since 2000.

This is the first time in New York's history that there has been a succession like this one, as Egan is the first archbishop of New York to ever survive his tenure.

As archbishop, Dolan will take over the official residence on the East Side.

The New York Archdiocese is the second largest in the country, behind Lost Angeles, serving 2.5 million parishioners in nearly 400 churches, while running a wide network of universities, schools, hospitals and social service agencies.

The archdiocese encompasses 10 counties including Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester and Rockland.