BishopAccountability.org
	Archbishop Dolan Elected President of Bishop Conference NY1 November 16, 2010 http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/129026/archbishop-dolan-elected-president-of-bishop-conference [with video] The head of the New York Archdiocese has been elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In an upset victory, Archbishop Timothy Dolan beat Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Arizona, the group's sitting vice president. On the third round of ballots, Dolan received 54 percent of the vote to Kicanas' 46 percent. It is the first time since the 1960s that a vice-presidential candidate on the ballot was not elected president. Conservative Catholics protested against Kicanas, upset he has not denied communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. While Dolan also does not outright deny the sacrament to dissenting Catholic lawmakers, he is seen as a stricter defender of church orthodoxy. He said his goal is to maintain the policies of his predecessor. "It's not like, thanks be to God, we are in crisis," said the archbishop. "It's not like all of a sudden we need some daring new initiatives. No. Thank God for the leadership of Cardinal Francis George, things are going well. So just to continue that and to work as hard as he did, I think that would be my major priority." The conference's new vice president will be Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.