Dolan Headed to New York, Latoya Dennis, WUWM, February 24, 2009

Dolan Headed to New York

By Latoya Dennis
WUWM
February 24, 2009

http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=4255

After weeks of speculation it was announced Monday that Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan is headed to New York. WUWM’s LaToya Dennis has this story.

Pope John Paul II once said the post of Archbishop of New York is like being “archbishop of the capitol of the world.” Milwaukee Bishop William Callahan says that makes it the perfect job for Timothy Dolan.

“It’s a sense that most of us have about New York, that is bigger than life. Well, you take the two pieces of his unique Catholic understanding and spiritual life and you take his unique understanding of American life and American history, that’s the man that you want to be able to speak. Not only to the Catholics of New York, but you want him to use the pulpit of New York as a place in which to speak about issues of our country,” Callahan says.

Archbishop Dolan will replace retiring Cardinal Edward Eagan as head of the second largest archdiocese in the nation. In a statement Dolan released Monday, he said he’s honored by the appointment, but sad to be leaving Milwaukee. He was installed as archbishop here nearly seven years ago. He arrived during a time when many Catholics were disenchanted with leadership. Reports of sexual abuse cover ups were common and the previous Milwaukee Archbishop admitted to paying off a man accusing him of sexual assault. Bishop Callahan says Dolan restored faith.

“His sense of understanding the horrors of what the abuse scandal has done, the personal need of reaching out to victims, he did that, and more. Tried to immediate different types of settlements, counseling, different sorts of ways in which personally the victims would be touched and received by the church once again in a very tender and loving sort of way,” Callahan says.

But Peter Isely says not enough has been done to keep kids safe from sexual predators.

“No matter how warm my regard is for the archbishop, when it comes to the sexual abuse of children he’s leaving this archdiocese in a pretty difficult situation,” Isely says.

Isely is Midwest Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP.

“We were at the Cousin Center again today with information to him and a letter to him about a cleric in this archdiocese who was convicted for sodomizing 10 year old boys out East that somehow ended up in our archdiocese and is presenting himself publicly as a religious order cleric, a brother in good standing. That’s alarming. He’s going to leave the Milwaukee Archdiocese without fulfilling the basic promise the bishops made several years ago that they’re not going to let this happen,” Isely says.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese has paid out millions upon millions of dollars in lawsuits over sexual abuse cover ups, and there’s a possibility of more to come. During his tenure here Dolan has been forced to lay off employees, merge parishes and close schools. He’s even openly discussed the possibility of filing bankruptcy. However, Evangelical Lutheran Bishop Paul Stumme-Diers says Dolan’s legacy won’t be marred by the negative. Stumme-Diers is speaking on behalf of the Interfaith Council of Greater Milwaukee.

“It’s a very challenging time for the church on many fronts. And in the midst of that I think that he was a wonderful spokesperson for the church who again brought that human face and a very human, personable spirit to his role. That really did help people to kind of reconnect with the church that they may have lost some confidence in,” Stumme-Diers says.

Dolan will stay on as Archbishop of Milwaukee until mid April. His successor is expected to be appointed within six months.