NEWS STORY: Newark Archbishop Tapped to Lead Archdiocese of Washington

c. 2000 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Pope John Paul II on Tuesday (Nov. 21) tapped Newark, N.J., Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, putting the 70-year-old in line to become a member of the elite College of Cardinals and possibly elect the next pope. McCarrick will succeed Cardinal James Hickey, […]

c. 2000 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Pope John Paul II on Tuesday (Nov. 21) tapped Newark, N.J., Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, putting the 70-year-old in line to become a member of the elite College of Cardinals and possibly elect the next pope.

McCarrick will succeed Cardinal James Hickey, 80, who is retiring because of age and ill health. McCarrick will officially become archbishop in ceremonies on Jan. 3 and 4.


McCarrick has shepherded Newark _ the nation’s seventh-largest diocese _ for 14 years and become a leading voice in the U.S. church on international poverty and human rights issues. At a news conference here, McCarrick said he will first focus his energies on issues within the archdiocese of about 500,000 Catholics.

“I am still a workaholic and thank God I am strong enough to keep working hard,” McCarrick said. “I wish I were a holier man, more prayerful, more trusting in God, wiser and courageous. But here I am, with all my faults and all my needs, and we will work together.”

Washington, despite its small size, has traditionally been given a cardinal to lead it, and its location in the nation’s capital has given the archdiocese a prominence beyond its size.

The pope is scheduled to name a new class of cardinals early next year, and McCarrick could well be included, along with Archbishop Edward Egan of New York, who succeeded the late Cardinal John O’Connor.

McCarrick will likely serve a shorter tenure than Hickey’s 20 years. Bishops are required to submit their resignations at age 75, but the pope has sometimes been reluctant to accept them. Cardinals lose their eligibility to vote for a new pope when they turn 80.

McCarrick said he has no idea when or if he will be named a cardinal, but several archdiocese observers said it is almost certain that McCarrick will soon don the cardinal’s red hat.

“I have to learn how to be archbishop of Washington (first), and that will take a while,” McCarrick said.


Hickey, appearing weak and frail, said he is proud of his 20 years of service in Washington and will pray for his successor. He said the pope has “chosen well and wisely.”

“From my perspective, Archbishop McCarrick is a young man _ he’s only 70,” Hickey said. “And when you observe his amazing energy, you’ll agree with my assessment. He will serve this archdiocese with great dedication and effectiveness.”

McCarrick was born in New York City and ordained there as a priest in 1958 after studying at Fordham University and St. Joseph’s Seminary. His first assignment was assistant chaplain at Washington’s Catholic University in America, and in 1965 he became president of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico.

McCarrick served as secretary to New York Cardinal Terrence Cook in the 1970s before being named auxiliary bishop of New York in 1977. He was named the first bishop of Metuchen, N.J., in 1981 and was tapped to lead the diverse Newark Archdiocese in 1986.

The jolly archbishop, with a bright Irish smile and a strong self-deprecating humor, said his first priority will be to meet the priests and staff of the Washington archdiocese before focusing his energies on ordaining new priests and recruiting lay ministers.

McCarrick said that he, much like Hickey, will follow a progressive social agenda on poverty and immigration while upholding the orthodox, more conservative, positions of the church.


“I certainly believe that the church cannot be authentic unless it takes care of the poor, it cannot be authentic unless it takes care of the newcomer,” McCarrick said. “On the other hand, the church cannot be authentic if it isn’t faithful to its doctrine.”

Catholics in Washington welcomed McCarrick’s appointment, saying he brings the political sophistication and advocacy skills that are important in the capital city.

“He’s a people person,” said Washington Auxiliary Bishop William Lori, Hickey’s deputy for the past 20 years. “He relates well to broad classes of people, to the diversity that’s here. He can speak the languages that will open up doors.”

Cardinal William Keeler, leader of the neighboring Baltimore Archdiocese, called McCarrick a “seasoned and committed pastoral leader.”

“He brings gifts of great faith, diligence and energy to his new assignment,” Keeler said in a statement.

DEA END ECKSTROM

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