PROVIDENCE (RI)
WPRI-TV, CBS-12 [Providence RI]
August 4, 2024
By Ted Nesi
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Richard Henning is set to be named the new archbishop of Boston, less than two years after he arrived in Rhode Island, 12 News has learned.
Michael Kieloch, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Providence, declined to confirm or deny the upcoming announcement.
“If there was any announcement coming for any see and on any day, it would be the prerogative of the Holy See and the Nunciature to announce it first,” Kieloch told 12 News. (In Catholic terminology, a see is a bishop’s jurisdiction, while a papal nuncio is the pope’s representative in a country.)
Rocco Palmo, a well-sourced Vatican expert, reported on social media that the announcement will take place in Boston on Monday.
Henning, 59, will replace Cardinal Sean O’Malley, one of the most prominent prelates in the United States and a close ally of Pope Francis. O’Malley, 80, at one time served as bishop of Fall River, where he dealt with the fallout from the sex abuse crisis.
Archbishops of Boston do not automatically become cardinals, the highest position in the Catholic Church, though historically they have been named one. Such an appointment would be at the discretion of Pope Francis, who has in some cases prioritized naming cardinals in places that have not historically been led by one.
Henning’s appointment comes as a surprise, since he was only appointed bishop of Providence just last year. He succeeded Bishop Thomas Tobin, who had been in the position since 2005.
The oldest of five children, Henning grew up on Long Island, son of a firefighter father and a stay-at-home mother. He has said he first felt called to the priesthood in the 5th grade, and spent years as a parish priest. Before his appointment to Providence, he had been serving as auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre, New York.
During an interview on WPRI 12’s Newsmakers last December, Henning described his vision of clerical leadership as rooted in his belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ and the holiness of the Catholic Church.
“I think it is very important in terms of vision to do a lot of listening,” Henning said on the program. “So this whole year for me has been less about telling people my solution for them, and more about hearing from them what their experience is.”
While acknowledging the church’s recent challenges, including declines in both priests and worshipers that have led to parish closures, Henning took a long view of the situation.
“I understand it looks like this is a very dramatic change,” he said on Newsmakers. “But the Catholic Church is old, and it’s been through cycles of destruction and rebuilding, of scandal and renewal — this is actually not a new thing for us.”
He added, “I often like to joke that the clergy of the church, we’re proof positive for the Holy Spirit — we could not possibly have done this for 2,000 years on our own. God is at work here. We often get in the way, but God is at work.”