BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe
October 31, 2024
By Brian MacQuarrie, Nick Stoico, and Izzy Bryars
In a solemn ceremony layered with joy, regret, and ancient ritual, Archbishop Richard Henning was installed Thursday as the seventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston before 1,400 religious and lay guests who filled the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
The installation ritual and Mass marked the end of Cardinal Seán O’Malley’s 21 challenging years as archbishop, a tenure dominated by fallout from the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and the beginning of a new chapter under Henning, 60, the former bishop of Providence.Related: Cardinal O’Malley’s complicated legacy: challenge, turmoil, and successes
“This church of Boston, it is in a very real sense a wounded church because of the failure to act with compassion and healing,” Henning said in his homily. “Sins against the innocent. We have seen over these decades a passionate effort to protect the vulnerable, but still we feel the weight of those wounds.
“And we owe a debt of gratitude to victims, survivors, who tell their story, for they have helped to protect new generations by their courage and by their prophetic truth-telling to us,” he continued. “And in their living of the faith, in their capacity for compassion and solidarity of love of neighbor, they become, for us, hope in the midst of the world, a light in the darkness.”
Echoes of the sexual abuse tragedy also were present outside the South End cathedral, where dozens of protesters, including clergy-abuse survivors, said before the ceremony that the church has not done enough to acknowledge, heal, and compensate victims.
Claude LeBeouf, 71, held a sign that read, “Sexual Abuse of Children is spiritual murder.” LeBeouf said he was sexually abused by the late Rev. James Porter, a serial child molester who served in Southeastern Massachusetts. “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” read another sign.
Before entering the cathedral, Henning approached the protesters, some of whom vented their frustration. One asked if Henning thinks the statute of limitations on claims of child sex abuse should be lifted.
“I will learn,” Henning said in response. “I have to listen.”
Henning’s entrance to the cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese, was steeped in historical precedent as he knocked three times on a large outer door. O’Malley stood just inside, his right hand grasping a crozier at the head of a large group of cardinals and bishops.Related: Pope Francis’ close ally, Cardinal Sean O’ Malley, retires as archbishop of Boston at age 80
The pair embraced, and Henning kissed a cross presented to him by the cathedral rector, Monsignor Kevin O’Leary. Henning sprinkled clergy and others near him with holy water, and then joined O’Malley just inside the doors to watch a procession of nearly 500 priests, deacons, seminarians, other religious orders, and lay members slowly file past them.
The guests included Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, five other cardinals, five archbishops, and more than 50 bishops.
Several rituals remained before Henning officially became archbishop. After a procession down the central aisle, he ascended to the sanctuary where Pierre read the papal bull from Pope Francis that had named him archbishop. Henning then showed the decree to the archdiocese’s College of Consultors, which they inspected to ensure the papal seal was genuine.
With that accomplished, Henning walked through the cathedral, displaying the bull to sustained applause from the congregation, a broad smile on his face. After returning to the sanctuary, he was led to the “cathedra,” the seat of the archbishop, where he officially assumed his role.
In his first remarks to the congregation, Henning drew laughter as he joked that the most common question he’s been asked is whether he is, or will become, a Red Sox fan. (He didn’t specifically answer.)
Near the end of the Mass, Henning thanked his family and friends who have “shaped me and guided me over the course of my life.” He acknowledged his parents, Richard and Maureen, who were seated in the front row, and the congregation stood and applauded.
“I thank you for that,” he told the gathering. “They deserve it. They are the best of people.”
He also acknowledged O’Malley and his years of leadership.
“The quality of your ministry has always been a truly humble gift of yourself for the sake of others,” Henning said. “It has been compassionate, it has been gentle, and it has been truly biblical and authentic to the faith … You, in a very real sense, are a foundation on which we will continue to build.”
Henning inherits an archdiocese that is in much better condition than what O’Malley faced in 2003. At that time, the archdiocese had been badly crippled, economically and spiritually, by the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Its finances were underwater, parishioners were outraged over looming church closures, and Mass attendance and Catholic school enrollment were dropping.
Now, the archdiocese is in the black: parishes have been consolidated and regrouped, school enrollment appears to have stabilized, and 11 priests were ordained this year, the second-highest number since 1997.
In his two decades as archbishop, O’Malley has been credited with opening and maintaining a dialogue with abuse victims, who have received more than $175 million in settlements since 2002, according to the archdiocese.
But the cardinal also faced criticism along with the praise, particularly in 2011 when he released the names of archdiocesan clerics who had been accused of abuse. Although 159 clerics were named, the list omitted the names of 91 others, many of whom had died or been defrocked before the allegations surfaced.
Henning also has experience with sexual-abuse controversy. Before being named bishop of Providence, he had been auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, N.Y. The diocese filed for bankruptcy four years ago, which prompted an ongoing legal battle with 650 abuse survivors over settlements.
The case was sent to mediation in May after most survivors rejected a proposed $200 million settlement and the archdiocese sought to dismiss the bankruptcy.
Henning has defended the move to file for bankruptcy.
“It was really the only decision that would have allowed the diocese to meet the obligations to survivors as well as continue the mission of the church,” he said, adding that he had only a limited role in the proceedings.
Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at brian.macquarrie@globe.com. Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com. Izzy Bryars can be reached at izzy.bryars@globe.com. Follow her @izzybryars.