LI diocese facing critical moment as Bishop William Murphy nears retirement age

By Bart Jones
Newsday
January 24, 2015

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/li-diocese-facing-critical-moment-as-bishop-william-murphy-nears-retirement-age-1.9841952

Bishop William Murphy leads Christmas mass at St. Agnes Cathedral on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2014 in Rockville Centre.

Bishop William Murphy hits the mandatory church retirement age of 75 in mid-May, and although he may not depart immediately, it is setting the stage for a momentous shift in one of the largest Roman Catholic dioceses in the nation.

By church regulations, Murphy, like all bishops, must submit a letter of resignation to the Vatican on his birthday, May 14. It could be accepted immediately, or he could be permitted to remain in his post for months or even years, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst with the National Catholic Reporter who has written two books on the Vatican.

"We've had cases where the day after his birthday a bishop's been replaced," Reese said. "And we've had cases where it's been five years," though one or two is usually the limit. "It's so very unpredictable."

John Thavis, a longtime Vatican reporter and author of "The Vatican Diaries," said that if a bishop is in good health, things are running well in a diocese and the bishop himself would like to stay on, it's common for him to be permitted to do so for a few years.

"If there are no problems, if it is smooth sailing, it's probably something they can wait a year or two on," Thavis said. If things are not smooth, he said, "expect it sooner, I would say."