But there were serious questions, also.

Cote, who comes from the diocese of Portland, Maine, faces declining charitable contributions and several lawsuits filed against the Norwich Diocese by alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests.

Bishop Michael Richard Cote, left, speaks with the press Tuesday at St. Patrick Cathedral in Norwich. At right is Bishop Daniel A. Hart. Photo by Dana Jensen.

He will also have to deal with the local chapter of Voice of the Faithful, an organization of Catholics that has sprung up in the wake of the national sex abuse scandal.

A beaming Hart introduced Cote by saying, "We are celebrating this year the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese of Norwich, and our local church has been blessed with a special gift from Our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. His excellency, Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, has been named the fifth Bishop of Norwich."

Bishop Daniel A. Hart, left, introduces his successor as head of the Norwich Diocese, Bishop Michael Cote, center, to nuns following a press conference at the Cathedral of St. Patrick in Norwich on Tuesday. Photo by Dana Jensen.

Hart, 75, has been bishop of Norwich for the past eight years. He plans to spend his retirement in Norwich, assisting in any parishes that need his help. He will act as administrator for the diocese until Cote's installation ceremony on May 14.

Cote, 53, has been auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Portland, Maine, for the past eight years under Bishop Joseph Gerry. He thanked God for the privilege of serving the Church.

"I assume this important task with humility, all too well aware of my human limitations and of my need to rely upon God's grace," he said. "At the same time, I accept this new responsibility with the joy of a pastor and with an eagerness to feed this portion of the Lord's flock."

Cote said he would begin meeting with the priests of the diocese individually immediately after his installation as bishop. He would then be meeting with deacons and with those men and women who have consecrated their lives to the church.

"Lastly, but certainly not least of all, I joyfully anticipate coming to know the laity of the diocese," Cote said. "They are the ones, after all, who carry the gospel into the marketplace, a gospel that has the power to transform the places where we live, work and play."

After their prepared remarks, Hart and Cote opened themselves up to questions.

Asked what he has learned as auxiliary bishop in Portland, Cote said, "The one thing that comes to mind: The bishop consults widely before he makes a decision."

And his leadership style?

"I usually know what I'm about, but I have a rather laid-back way of working. I don't believe in pushing myself on people," Cote said. "I would say I'm laid back, but not lazy."

Asked what he might do to bring contributors back into the fold, Cote said, "I'll want to become involved in fund raising, but I'm going to rely on our new director of finance. Anything I can do to be of assistance, I will do."

As to those disenfranchised by the sexual abuse scandals, Cote said, "I have a great openness to people who feel estranged from the Church because of the scandal, and I would be willing to sit with such people."

Hart was asked whether he had any advice for Cote.

"I suppose I do, yes," Hart said, and then fell silent, eliciting a round of laughter.

In the event of any allegations of sexual misconduct, Cote said he would follow the process established by the bishops' charter.

"Two things: You must respect the victim and the accused, because both of them have rights," Cote said. "I would try to show compassion to both sides until the investigation is complete."

The Portland Diocese has had its share of sexual scandals, and Cote has been the church leader who visited affected parishes around the state, sometimes facing angry parishioners and explaining decisions to remove three popular priests from their ministry. He also has accompanied Bishop Gerry during emotional and sometimes angry meetings with victims of past clergy abuse.

Last March, after two priests, the Rev. Michael Doucette of St. Agatha and the Rev. John Audibert of Madawaska, admitted to sexually abusing minors in the 1970s, the Portland Diocese placed them on administrative leave.

In April, a third priest, the Rev. Leo James Michaud, was removed from his parish for alleged sexual abuse of a minor 25 years earlier.

"We had to remove three priests in Portland, and I removed them personally because the bishop was ill," Cote said.

And in May, an Augusta attorney released documents showing that Gerry had twice transferred a priest after receiving a letter accusing the priest of child sex abuse. Gerry moved the Rev. Raymond Melville from Rumford to Lewiston and Machias after March 1990, when a man wrote Gerry and accused Melville of sexual abuse committed over a five-year period beginning when the man was 14.

Also in May, prosecutors said their review of diocesan records showed that 33 priests, nearly one in eight of Maine's inactive living priests, had been accused of molesting children.

In September, prosecutors in most of Maine's 16 counties said they did not expect to bring sexual assault charges against any of the priests whose names were contained in documents from the diocese.

And in January, 14 alleged victims of the Rev. James Talbot, including two former students at Portland's Cheverus High School, were awarded $5.8 million.

What did Cote learn from all this?

"I learned the need to be up-front in dealing with these things," he said.

Cote was asked his opinion of the Voice of The Faithful, which has called for more involvement by parishioners in the affairs of the church.

"I have a lot of feelings about that," Cote said. "I think they're very sincere people, very good people. My concern is this: I'm not exactly sure what the purpose is for such a movement. There are already many means and many bodies through which the laity have a voice.

"I would ask the Voice of the Faithful, what new element is there in their movement? And why would they want to establish a parallel organization?"

Last May, the Portland Diocese decided it would not provide space for the meetings of Voice of the Faithful. Other questions to Cote concerned his hobbies skiing, golf and kayaking and his motto "Above all, charity." Hart was asked whether it was hard for him to leave his post.

"Is it hard for me to leave?" Hart repeated, seemingly incredulous. And then, after a beat, "No, no." The crowd roared with laughter.

Paul Christian, who used to work with Cote at Catholic Charities of Maine and is now promoting reform in the church, said of Cote, "He's quiet, sincere, very faithful. Frankly, I think some folks in Maine were hoping he'd be the next bishop here."

k.robinson@theday.com

The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram contributed to this report.