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	Archbald Pastor Bambera Will Face Significant Challenges As Scranton Diocese's 10th Bishop By Laura Legere Times-Tribune February 24, 2010 http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/archbald-pastor-bambera-will-face-significant-challenges-as-scranton-diocese-s-10th-bishop-1.638415 SCRANTON (PA) -- A priest who has spent his life in the Diocese of Scranton, and the last six months learning to lead it, will become the 10th bishop of Scranton. The Vatican announced Tuesday that Monsignor Joseph C. Bambera, a Carbondale native, will assume leadership of the 11-county diocese. Monsignor Bambera will become bishop at a time of significant challenges, including financial strain, changing parishes and lingering feelings of loss and uncertainty among many parishioners. On Tuesday, as he spoke for the first time as bishop-elect during a press conference at the Guild building, Monsignor Bambera drew on his experience as a native son and pastor to summon a message of hope. "I think our goal right now is really to move forward, based on the struggles we've experienced and based on the hard work that's been done thus far," he said. "I know from my own personal experience that the Lord is deeply rooted in the people of this diocese." Monsignor Bambera will be ordained and installed as the bishop of Scranton at a Mass in St. Peter's Cathedral on April 26. He will become only the second diocesan native to head the 11-county see. For the past six months, Monsignor Bambera has run the daily operations of the diocese as the local delegate to interim leader Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia and metropolitan for the province that includes Scranton. Cardinal Rigali will continue as apostolic administrator of the diocese, a post he assumed on Aug. 31 when the Vatican accepted Bishop Joseph F. Martino's retirement, until Monsignor Bambera's installation. At the press conference on Tuesday, Cardinal Rigali sat to the left of Monsignor Bambera, while Bishop Emeritus James Timlin, retired Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty and clergy, parishioners and other supporters stood at the back of the room. Bishop Martino, who was not at the event, has been out of the state in recent months, teaching at the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. After he introduced the future bishop, Cardinal Rigali noted "the splendid qualities" that Pope Benedict XVI recognized in Monsignor Bambera, "which we're beginning to see now in an even closer way." Invoking the image of the shepherd, Cardinal Rigali noted that among all the "noble responsibilities" of the office, a bishop is "primarily called to pastor the people of God with the heart of Jesus Christ." Monsignor Bambera is known among colleagues and friends as being, foremost, pastoral. They view those same gifts as being crucial to the health of the future church in the region. "He has already exhibited such an openness and such an approachability to both the clergy and the people of the diocese," said Joseph K. Grieboski, a Scranton native who runs the Institute on Religion and Public Policy in Washington, D.C. "I think that's one of the things that after the last few years the diocese really, really needs." Monsignor Joseph Quinn, a diocesan priest serving as vice president for University Mission and Ministry at Fordham University, said Monsignor Bambera is "the right choice at the right time. "He is what the Diocese of Scranton needs at this very juncture," he said. "And we should all feel very blessed to have such a good and generous and selfless priest of God become our chief shepherd." On Tuesday, Monsignor Bambera likened his new role to the pastorate of a "much, much larger parish" and he gave some indication of how he will lead it. Asked if he might change some of Bishop Martino's much-discussed decisions to close or consolidate parishes and schools, he said he does not "believe there will really be a place to revisit those things," in part because it was a project of so many people and often had positive results. He said his role as bishop will include ensuring that the principles of Catholic doctrine are observed in the four Catholic universities in the diocese - a point of contention between Bishop Martino and the universities - but that will be done best by "dialoguing with those universities and working with them." He went further to say he finds "great value in dialogue" and hopes to be "as open as possible" to conversation with many groups. "I've learned from my experience as a pastor and also over the last six months that there is a wealth of knowledge that we derive one from another," he said. "There's a wisdom that comes from many and sometimes unexpected places." Some groups who have been at odds with the diocese over issues in recent years said Tuesday they were heartened to hear Monsignor Bambera express a willingness to listen. Anthony Foti, a member of a foundation in Wilkes-Barre that has been working to save Sacred Heart church from closing, said he is encouraged by the appointment of Monsignor Bambera as bishop. "We're looking at this as an opportunity to start the healing process in the diocese," he said. Michael Milz, the head of the diocesan teachers union whose recognition was withdrawn by the diocese, said he is "excited" at the appointment and wrote a letter to Monsignor Bambera on Tuesday. The two had a meeting in October during which Monsignor Bambera was "open," Mr. Milz said. "Certainly, that was refreshing. Hopefully, he'll remain open to discuss the differences that are there." One group expressed opposition to the appointment of the new bishop. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued a statement saying Bishop-elect Bambera was a "poor choice" and an "insult" based on testimony he gave during a 2007 sexual abuse case when he said a priest was allowed to return to a parish after admitting to sexually assaulting two boys and undergoing counseling. The priest then abused a third child. Diocesan spokesman William Genello called the accusations "unfair" and said Bishop-elect Bambera "followed all the protocols that were in place at the time to deal with incidents of this nature." At the press conference, Bishop-elect Bambera repeatedly acknowledged the challenges he knows will confront him in his new post. He also said he assumes the role with "deep humility," and then quoted words that a predecessor bishop once inscribed on a prayer card: "God writes straight with crooked lines." "I don't think that anybody ever thinks that they are fit for or worthy of a job like this," he said. He added that he must trust "that the Lord who gets you into it will carry you through." Contact the writer: llegere@timesshamrock.com
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