Toledo Bishop Named New Archbishop in Hartford

By Daniela Altimari
The Hartford Courant
October 29, 2013

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-archbishop-hartford-diocese-1029-20131028,0,6722417.story

[with video]

BLOOMFIELD – Pope Francis on Tuesday announced the appointment of Bishop Leonard P. Blair, the bishop of Toledo, Ohio, as Hartford's new archbishop.

"Pope Francis appoints Bishop Leonard Blair as my successor,'' Hartford's current Archbishop, Henry J. Mansell, tweeted this morning. "He has my heartfelt congratulations, prayers and support."

Blair, 64, will not be officially installed until Dec. 16, but he joined church officials at a mid-morning press conference at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield. He displayed frequent flashes of humor during the hour-long appearance, reacted in good-nature when a bank of microphone failed to work properly and joking that he may never be able to master a New England accent.

But turning serious, Blair said, "I do pledge to you all my love and effort to serve Christ by serving you." He asked for prayers as he prepares take the helm in Hartford.

According to his biography on the Diocese of Toledo website, Blair was born in Detroit and was named the seventh bishop of Toledo on Oct. 7, 2003.

Blair was one of three bishops charged with assessing an organization that represents the majority of U.S. nuns. In that role, Blair oversaw a report in 2012 that was critical of the nuns' group, saying it undermined Catholic teaching on homosexuality and contraception and embraced radical feminism.

Christie A. Macaluso, Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford, called Blair "a very gifted and intelligent man of faith."

"Archbishop-designate Blair brings with him much experience as a priest and bishop,'' Macaluso said in a statement posted on the Hartford Archdiocese website. "As bishop of the Toledo Diocese, he distinguished himself as a wise and sound administrator and a humble man of deep faith. I look forward with enthusiasm to his coming among us as our shepherd and assure him of our prayers and support as he assumes the shepherd's staff and leads the faithful of this Archdiocese into the future."

But Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, was critical of the appointment. "Bishop Leonard Blair has done a poor job delaing with the church's on-going child sex abuse and cover up crisis in Toledo,'' she said in an email. "We are disappointed that once again Pope Francis has promoted a prelate who has failed to show real courage and compassion and refused to adequately protect the vulnerable and heal the wounded."

Blair said Catholic officials in Toledo waited six months to investigate alleged sexual misdeeds by a Catholic school counselor in 2010.

At the press conference, Blair was asked about the child sex abuse scandals that have rocked many archdiocese, including Hartford. "When I came to Toledo, my predecessor [removed] a number of priests who were accused, and subsequently, I had to remove some as well, but I think there's been a great process of healing in Toledo and I think our diocese responded appropriately."

Blair said the best way to move forward "given the very sad, tragic things that have happened in recent years" is to be faithful to the mission of the church, stay close to Christ and address people's material and spriritual needs.

"I am very struck by Pope Francis' image of the church being a field hospital for the wounded in today's world,'' Blair said. "There are so many people that are hurting, spiritually as well as materially."

Writing on his blog, "Whispers in the Loggia," Rocco Palmo noted that "none would mistake" Blair as part of the "centrist of progressive" bishops. However he said that Blair's managerial skill will be valuable in a diocese with an "aging infrastructure and shifting demographics."

Mansell, who, at 76, is past the mandatory retirement age of 75, has served Catholics in Hartford since 2003, when he arrived from the Buffalo archdiocese to take over for retiring Archbishop Daniel A. Cronin. Earlier this year Mansell told WFSB's "Face the State" program that in October 2012 he notified Pope Benedict XVI that he was ready to retire.

Hartford is among a handful of archdioceses in the United States where a replacement must soon be named by Pope Francis, who was elected in March.

The Archdiocese of Hartford is made up of about 700,000 Catholics and 213 parishes. The diocese's 500 priests are assisted by an additional 300 deacons. The church is the second-largest provider of social services in Connecticut, after the government. (By comparison, the Diocese of Toledo is home to about 322,000 Catholics.)

The next archbishop will face a Catholic community with changing demographics, a shortage of priests and aging parishes. The Hartford archdiocese covers a sprawling region of affluent suburbs, rural communities and impoverished cities.

The Rev. James Manship of St. Rose of Lima Church in New Haven, said Pope Francis has been clear about his vision for the future.

"He sends a pretty clear message to all of us,'' Manship said. "It's OK to be a poor church. It's OK to take risks. He said to the young people in Brazil, 'go back and make a racket.'

"He has given us a great example, to live a simple life and be close to Jesus and be close to the people."

Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut and a Catholic, said the announcement of the new bishop "is huge news for the Catholic faithful of the archdiocese and really, the entire state of Connecticut.

"The office holds tremendous importance for believing Catholics in the Archdiocese of Hartford," Wolfgang said. "Every citizen in the state has a stake in this appointment."

Mark Silk, professor of religion at Trinity College and director of the Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life, said the selections that Pope Francis makes are being closely scrutinized.

"Every appointment now is interesting because it gives some indication of whether and to what degree there is a new administration in Rome,'' Silk said. "The appointment of bishops and archbishops sends a signal about what the priorities of the pope are. Many people have concluded that this is a different kind of papacy."

Bishop Blair was ordained in June of 1976. Bishop Blair he holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Sacred Heart Seminary College in Detroit, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, a Licentiate in Theology with a specialization in Patristics and the History of Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and a Doctorate in Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

Bishop Blair has served as pastor of St. Paul Parish, Grosse Point Farms, since July of 1997. Prior to that, he served for three years as Secretary to Cardinal Edmund Szoka and as a staff member of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, Vatican City State.

The Hartford Archdiocese has only had four archbishops since it was created as an archdiocese in 1953: Henry J. O'Brien, John F. Whealon, Cronin and Mansell.

Contact: dnaltimari@courant.com