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	Lennon to Become Bishop in Cleveland By Michael Paulson Boston Globe April 4, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/ breaking_news/2006/04/bishop_lennon_t.html Bishop Richard G. Lennon, who oversaw the Archdiocese of Boston for seven months after the resignation of Cardinal Bernard F. Law but became a polarizing figure because of his role in numerous diocesan controversies, will become the bishop of Cleveland, the Vatican announced today. Lennon, an auxiliary bishop who holds the key posts of vicar general and moderator of the curia in Boston, will replace Cleveland Bishop Anthony Michael Pilla, who is resigning, the Vatican said. Cleveland is the 15th largest diocese in the U.S. -- about half the size of the Archdiocese of Boston-- with an estimated 800,000 Catholics and 583 priests. Pilla, a former president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, is resigning under a provision of canon law that requests the resignation of "a diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause," the Vatican said. A 73-year-old Cleveland native, Pilla has served as the bishop there since 1981. Lennon, a 59-year-old Arlington native and self-taught canon lawyer who had served as rector of St. John's Seminary, was appointed by Pope John Paul II to serve as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Boston on Dec. 13, 2002, when Law resigned over his role in the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Lennon ran the archdiocese until July 30, 2003, when Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley was installed as archbishop of Boston. Pope Benedict XVI last month elevated O'Malley to cardinal. Since O'Malley's arrival in Boston, Lennon has been the de facto chief executive officer of the archdiocese, and has become increasingly controversial, particularly for his role overseeing the process by which O'Malley decided which parishes to close in a sweeping reconfiguration of the archdiocese. Many of the parish closings proved contentious, numerous laypeople complained that the consultation process was flawed and politicized, and Lennon was blamed for many of the archdiocese's most unpopular steps, such as its decision to lock a group of elementary schoolchildren out of a closing school in Brighton rather than risk an occupation of the school by protesting parents. Lennon's departure provides a much-anticipated opportunity for O'Malley to reshape the administration of the archdiocese, which is often criticized for a lack of pastoral skills and poor communication. Two key lay employees at chancery, Chancellor David W. Smith and Development Director Kenneth J. Hokenson, are also leaving this year, and Benedict is expected soon to name new auxiliary bishops for Boston and to accept the retirements of some of the existing bishops. O'Malley is also planning on April 19 to offer his first detailed public assessment of the finances of the archdiocese as he embarks on an effort to cut costs, raise revenues, and restore some degree of financial stability to the ailing church. Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.
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