By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 24, 2013
NEWARK — The Roman Catholic archbishop here on Tuesday introduced the cleric appointed by the Vatican to assist him and denied that the move was related to criticism over his handling of a
of a sexually abusive priest.
The cleric, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, recently of Gaylord, Mich., was named coadjutor archbishop for Archbishop John J. Myers, 72, who is to retire as head of the Newark Archdiocese in 2016. A coadjutor automatically succeeds the current archbishop upon his retirement, transfer or death, according to a statement by the archdiocese. Archbishop Myers said on Tuesday that he intended “to be here until I’m 75.”
Archbishop Myers denied that Archbishop Hebda’s appointment was related to the controversy surrounding the Rev. Michael Fugee, who stepped down in May, or to accusations that he failed to take action against a priest accused of molesting a boy while he was bishop of Peoria, Ill.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “It was at my own request. That was never part of any discussion, and I don’t think that there are substantiated reasons for them doing so. I don’t think that it’s about that.”
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