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	Archbishop Chaput Is Headed to Philadelphia By Scott P. Richert About.com Guide July 19, 2011 http://catholicism.about.com/b/2011/07/19/archbishop-chaput-is-headed-to-philadelphia.htm The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput has been the archbishop of Denver for over 14 years. A Capuchin friar (the Capuchins are a branch of the Franciscans), Archbishop Chaput has long been regarded as one of the more conservative and consistently orthodox bishops in the United States. That reputation undoubtedly had much to do with the decision by Pope Benedict XVI, announced on July 19, 2011, to appoint Archbishop Chaput as archbishop of Philadelphia. Archbishop Chaput succeeds Justin Cardinal Rigali, who submitted his resignation in April 2010, after reaching the age of 75. Under Cardinal Rigali's leadership, the archdiocese of Philadelphia has gone through some troubled times, particularly regarding cases of clerical sexual abuse. Earlier this year, after a grand jury investigation of the archdiocese's handling of such cases, Cardinal Rigali suspended 21 of 37 priests who had been accused of sexual abuse but had remained in active ministry. While there is reason to believe that the story in Philadelphia is more complex than "The Church once again covers up predatory priests" (eight of the 37 priests had already been cleared of the allegations before the grand jury returned its findings), there is little doubt that Pope Benedict saw the need for a strong hand in Philadelphia, and, as John Allen writes in the National Catholic Reporter, "Admirers say Chaput has a no-nonsense approach to priestly discipline, and doesn't hide behind clerical privilege." While the clerical sexual abuse stories of 2010 have largely died down, the case of Fr. John Corapi has drawn further attention to the process for handling such allegations, and in particular the problem of protecting priests from those who wish to take advantage of the U.S. bishops' "zero-tolerance" policy to make malicious allegations against them. Interestingly, some defenders of "the Black Sheep Dog" have pointed to the Philadelphia case as evidence that the Church has come down too hard on Father Corapi while not properly handling credible clerical sexual abuse allegations, even though the archdiocese of Philadelphia essentially did what Father Corapi's defenders wanted done in his case: They left priests in ministry until a canonical trial has taken place. Archbishop Chaput will undoubtedly soon be elevated to the rank of cardinal (because of the historical importance of the archdiocese of Philadelphia, her archbishops have traditionally been named cardinals), and that, combined with his more prominent position, will give him a much larger voice in the Catholic Church in the United States. Look for him to help shape future discussion of the Church's process for dealing with clerical sexual abuse, and to speak out strongly (as he has as archbishop of Denver) on areas where faith, morals, and politics meet, such as abortion and homosexual marriage. Indeed, Archbishop Chaput will be installed as archbishop of Philadelphia on September 8, 2011—well in advance of the first primaries in the 2012 U.S. presidential race.
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