NEW YORK
CT Now
RACHEL ZOLL
Associated Press
7:06 p.m. EST, March 5, 2015
NEW YORK — Cardinal Edward Egan, the former archbishop of New York who oversaw a broad and sometimes unpopular financial overhaul of the archdiocese and played a prominent role in the city after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, died Thursday. He was 82.
Egan, who retired in 2009 after nine years as archbishop, died of cardiac arrest at a New York hospital, the archdiocese announced. As a child he survived polio, which affected his health as an adult, and he also used a pacemaker.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the current archbishop of New York, asked for prayers for Egan and for his family.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Egan “was a generous man who committed his life to serving others.” …
In 2002 The Courant published stories that showed Egan failed to aggressively investigate some abuse allegations, reassigned priests he knew had allegations against them and generally downplayed allegations made against many of the priests.
The Courant obtained more than 440 pages of secret depositions that Egan gave in cases involving 23 people who made accusations against seven priests under his control.
One case involved Lawrence Brett, a priest accused of molesting several boys who then disappeared for years. Brett was found living on St. Maarten by The Courant in 2002 more than 10 years after he had been disciplined. Brett had been getting help from two priests in the Diocese of Bridgeport while he was on the lam.
Egan was named cardinal of New York shortly before the lawsuits in Bridgeport were settled for $12 million.
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