Archbishop-Elect of Miami Thomas Wenski: Orlando Was Good Preparation, by Cary McMullen, The Ledger, April 22, 2010

Archbishop-Elect of Miami Thomas Wenski: Orlando Was Good Preparation

By Cary McMullen
The Ledger
April 22, 2010

http://www.theledger.com/article/20100422/NEWS/4215069/1134?Title=Archbishop-Elect-of-Miami-Thomas-Wenski-Orlando-Was-Good-Preparation

Chosen to lead Miami Archdiocese, bishop known for conservatism, facing controversy.

A couple of days before being named the next archbishop of Miami, Bishop Thomas Wenski was in Polk County doing two things he is known for - speaking out on behalf of immigrant workers and riding his Honda Goldwing motorcycle.

On Sunday, he joined a march down South Florida Avenue in Lakeland organized by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to press growers and distributors like Publix Super Markets for higher wages for tomato pickers.

He then cruised down to Fort Meade and celebrated Mass the next morning at the tiny St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Church.

Diocese of Orlando employees listen as Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Diocese address the media during a press conference in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, April 21, 2008. Wenski has been named the Archbishop of Miami effective June 1.

"There are great backroads for motorcycle riding," Wenski joked Wednesday at a news conference at diocesan headquarters in Orlando. He had been asked what he would miss about the diocese. "In Miami, it's a little more congested."

The Vatican announced Tuesday that Wenski will succeed Archbishop John C. Favalora on June 1. Favalora will reach the mandatory retirement age of 75 in December and is leaving office early to make way for Wenski, a native of Lake Worth who had long been rumored as Favalora's successor.

When Wenski leaves after five years there, the Diocese of Orlando will be overseen by a council of seven priests, which will designate a diocesan administrator until Pope Benedict XVI names a new bishop. There is no time limit for the pope to appoint a successor.

Wenski, 59, said his work in Orlando has been good preparation.

"In Miami yesterday, everyone was telling me I'll do a good job. If I do, I know it will be because of my experience here in Central Florida," he said.

Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Diocese of Orlando talks to the media during a press conference in Orlando, Florida, Wednesday, April 21, 2008. Wenski has been named the Archbishop of Miami effective June 1.

Wenski is known for his commitment to Catholic social teaching and for theological conservatism. He has not hesitated to speak out on controversial issues. He opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and called the Bush administration's use of waterboarding "an intrinsic evil" but was also critical of the University of Notre Dame for conferring an honorary degree on President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights, and held a "Mass of Reparations" in response.

The sex-abuse scandal that has hit the Catholic Church around the world largely bypassed the Diocese of Orlando. On Tuesday, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, accused Wenski of "deception, delay and recklessness" involving two priests, including one who left the diocese before Wenski arrived. The other, the Rev. Carlos Bedoya, former pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church in Haines City, was removed from his parish in Deltona in November 2006 after he was investigated by police for participating in sexual battery against a male adult. No charges were ever filed against Bedoya, but Wenski was criticized by SNAP for not disclosing the accusation to parishioners.

Wenski said Wednesday that "the crisis has been surmounted" in the Catholic Church.

"Sometimes we learn difficult lessons. The Catholic Church has policies in place to ensure those things do not happen, or if they happen we nip them in the bud and deal with them in a forthright and transparent manner," he said.

The son of a Polish immigrant, Wenski was ordained as a priest in Miami in 1976 and worked extensively among Haitians there. He speaks Creole and Spanish, and while an auxiliary bishop under Favalora, chaired the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration. He has been outspoken about the rights of immigrants and a critic of stricter immigration laws.

Wednesday, he compared current immigration rules to the Jim Crow laws that codified racial segregation.

"Changes have to be made so we do not end up creating another underclass. ... We still haven't recovered from that sad part of our history," he said.

Wenski was named coadjutor bishop, or designated successor, to Orlando Bishop Norbert Dorsey in July 2003. He became presiding bishop in November 2004 upon Dorsey's retirement. The diocese, which covers nine counties and includes nine parishes and three mission churches in Polk County, had experienced explosive growth, and Wenski soon called for a year-long synod, or planning process, which included representatives from parishes. One result was a capital campaign that has more than $100 million in pledges toward a goal of $150 million.

"I think I set a lot of things in motion, and I think that motion is going to continue," he said.

The Rev. Matthew Mello, pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Lakeland, said there was "no better choice" for the post in Miami.

"He's very focused and energetic, a hard worker and ... media savvy. He taught us the value of working together to accomplish a lot. ... He got us to believe in ourselves. We had tried capital campaigns before. He got us to put the ball in the end zone," he said.

In Miami, Wenski will lead an archdiocese that is facing economic difficulties.

"The economic crisis has hit South Florida particularly hard. They've had to close several schools and parishes. That's created a sense of malaise and discouragement. One of my tasks will be to remind them that as Catholics, we are people of hope," he said.

Contact: cary.mcmullen@theledger.com