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	Appointment by Pope a Surprise for Bishop Posting to Iowa, Not Youngstown, Stuns Amos By Colette M. Jenkins Beacon Journal [Cleveland OH] October 13, 2006 http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15748379.htm Bishop Martin J. Amos didn't know what to think when he heard the message on his voice mail from Pope Benedict XVI's ambassador to the United States. "I called him back immediately and he wasn't available," said Amos, an auxiliary bishop in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. "I left a message and started to pace." Amos paced in his Akron office for nearly 90 minutes wondering whether the months-long rumor that he would be appointed bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown was about to become a reality. "I was thinking Youngstown, but (the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Pietro Sambi) said, 'Pope Benedict wants to appoint you as bishop of Davenport,' " said Amos, 65. That was last week. On Thursday, Amos made his first trip to Iowa to be introduced as the eighth bishop of the 105,000 parishioners in 84 parishes across 22 counties of southeast Iowa. He will be installed as bishop on Nov. 20. News of Amos' departure came as a surprise in Northeast Ohio, particularly in the Akron area, where he is charged with shepherding the more than 150,000 Roman Catholics in Summit, Medina, Wayne and Ashland counties. The phones in his Akron office at the Catholic Center on Russell Avenue rang almost nonstop all day. "People have generally been surprised about the appointment. I think it's fair to say they're in shock," said Julie Johnson, who has been Amos' secretary during the five years he has led the southern portion of the diocese. Amos was appointed auxiliary bishop for the southern district of the diocese in 2001. His appointment by the Vatican marked the first time since 1992 that an auxiliary bishop had been assigned to the Akron area. Replacement likely In response to Amos' assignment in Iowa, Cleveland Bishop Richard G. Lennon said he will pursue the process for requesting auxiliaries. He has not decided how many he will request, but one of his four auxiliaries is already retired and another, Bishop A. James Quinn, will submit his resignation when he turns 75 in spring. Bishops are required to tender their resignations at age 75 but can continue in their positions at the pope's request. The Rev. Joseph H. Kraker, who shares a residence with Amos at Akron's St. Vincent parish, said he doesn't expect a replacement to named anytime soon. But he said Amos' impact will be felt long into the future. "He brought to us the presence of the bishop and the sense that conveys we have a more immediate connection with the bishop," said Kraker, who is the pastor at St. Vincent. "He will really be missed because he made everybody feel good. His personality is such that people would immediately relate to him. He is so down to earth that if he wasn't wearing bishop's clothing, you would never know he was a bishop." The Rev. John Hengle of Our Lady of Victory in Tallmadge and the Rev. Thomas McCann of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Cuyahoga Falls echoed Kraker's sentiments. "He's a very prayerful man who has a great love for the church and for the people," Hengle said. "And he's extremely organized and very gifted." Both Hengle and McCann said Amos' qualities will make him a good diocesan bishop. "He's such an outgoing person who has a wonderful ability to listen to people. He was never one to make his importance felt," McCann said. Long resume The Cleveland native was ordained a priest in 1968 and has spent his 38 years in ministry in the Cleveland diocese. His assignments included associate pastorates in Lakewood and Sheffield Lake and faculty positions at Elyria Catholic, Lorain Catholic and Borromeo Seminary High School. He also served as academic dean at Borromeo College. Before being ordained bishop, he served as pastor of St. Dominic in Shaker Heights. The high marks that Amos received from people prior to the 12:10 p.m. Mass at St. Bernard Church in downtown Akron were as strong as those from fellow clergy. Richard Williams, 57, a maintenance worker from Akron, said Amos "served the Akron area well" and described him as "very approachable." Patricia Giralt, 48, of Akron, an engineer with Summit County Environmental Services, said he confirmed her daughter, Teresa, 14, at St. Sebastian Church earlier this year. "He is a very loving, simple man," she said. Troubled diocese Amos is aware that he has accepted an assignment in a diocese that has been hit hard by allegations of sex abuse and cover-up by former diocesan leaders. "The nuncio told me there were some problems. He spoke in very broad strokes, so I don't have the details. He said there are some serious financial problems and some sexual abuse issues," Amos said. "For me, as sad as both of those things are, I hope that I can help build again. The people of the diocese will need time to get to know me and I will need time to get to know them and the particulars of the diocese. "I know that I will face the challenge of trying to bring healing to those who have been abused and confidence to those who feel cheated, but I believe with God's help we can come together and get through this tragedy." On Tuesday, the Iowa diocese filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, becoming the fourth diocese in the country to seek financial protection to deal with the priest sex abuse scandal. Like those other dioceses -- Portland, Ore., Spokane, Wash., and Tucson, Ariz. -- Davenport has been hit by a series of lawsuits that allege church leaders knowingly allowed priests with histories of sexual abuse to be moved to different assignments. The bankruptcy filing came less than two weeks before the diocese is scheduled to defend itself at a trial involving accusations that it failed to discipline a former bishop accused of sexually abusing a high school student. Costly settlements The diocese's current leader, Bishop William Franklin, indicated the filing was necessary because of the financial pressure of settling as many as 25 outstanding claims of sexual abuse."Because the settlement demands are greater than the available assets of the diocese, we cannot continue on our present path," Franklin wrote in a letter posted on the diocese Web site. Since 2004, the diocese has paid more than $10.5 million to resolve dozens of claims, including a $9 million 2004 settlement reached with 37 victims. A special Mass of Thanksgiving and farewell for Amos will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at St. John's Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. Beacon Journal staff writer Jim Carney contributed to this report. Colette Jenkins can be at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
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