Cardinal Dolan Scoffs at Notion That He Will Be the Next Pope
By Maura Grunlund/staten
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An affable Cardinal Timothy Dolan laughed at the suggestion that he would be the next pope and expressed support for holding the conclave to choose the new pontiff as soon as possible in an appearance Wednesday at Carmel Richmond Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Dongan Hills. "All the cardinals are really embarrassed to talk about that," the archbishop of New York said when reporters asked him whether he would succeed Pope Benedict. The cardinal added that the "church needs somebody like Jesus" to serve as pope and after listing a few of the qualities he thought important in a pontiff, Cardinal Dolan quipped, "Are they trying to get me out of here?" As for reports that the date may be moved up from Mid-March for the cardinals to choose the new pope, Cardinal Dolan said he was in favor of "anything we could do to make sure we prudently and patiently have a new Holy Father and I can get back for Holy Week here." The cardinal also defended the right of embattled Cardinal Roger Mahony, the archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, who has been accused of hiding sexual abuse by priests, in selecting a new pope. "He has a right to go," Cardinal Dolan said of Mahony. "It's the most sacred responsibility that a cardinal has. If only saints could enter the conclave, nobody would be able to go, including me." Cardinal Dolan plans to be in Rome when Pope Benedict steps down on Feb. 28 and probably will arrive in the Eternal City two to three days earlier. The archbishop was at what he called "the magnificent health care facility Carmel Richmond" to participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Island's first full-service ArchCare Senior Life Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) slated to open on June 1. He was accompanied by Scott LaRue, president and CEO, and Frank Serbaroli, chairman, of ArchCare, the Archdiocese healthcare system. The cardinal and the co-vicars of Staten Island, Monsignor Peter Finn and Monsignor James Dorney, and Monsignor William Belford, pastor of St. Teresa's R.C. Church, also concelebrated a mass and distributed communion to the Carmel Richmond residents. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island) were in attendance. At the groundbreaking, Cardinal Dolan donned a hard hat, joking, "Don't want to get in trouble with OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration]" and used a sledge hammer to whack a wall of the about 13,000 square foot area that is being remodeled to accommodate a new medical clinic and adult day center intended to keep seniors in their own homes and out of long-term care facilities. "While nursing homes will always be part of our health ministry, our seniors are telling us they want to remain at home, close to the people and neighborhoods they love," Cardinal Dolan said. "With ArchCare Senior Life PACE, seniors and others with chronic health needs no longer have to give up their homes and independence just to get the medical care and other attention they need to live safely and comfortably." The archdiocese's health care system also is responding to shifts in federal and state health policies that have led to an ever-increasing share of government reimbursement dollars being redirected from institutional residential care to home and community-based alternatives, the cardinal said. The center is expected to serve up to 125 seniors age 55 and older who are eligible for nursing home level of care as certified by New York State but who could live at home safely with PACE assistance. An estimated 750 seniors on Staten Island meet the criteria to receive care through PACE and by 2016, the number is expected to exceed 900. The new PACE center at Carmel Richmond will be ArchCare's third with similar facilities in Harlem and the South Bronx. The center will include a fully equipped medical clinic staffed by doctors and nurses who specialize in the care of seniors. PACE services include comprehensive medical, dental and skilled nursing care and adult day care in an on-site medical clinic and social day center, home health services, physical, occupational and other therapies, social services, meals and nutritional counseling, transportation, laboratory tests, and prescription and over-the-counter medications.
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