PHILADELPHIA — A conservative Native American archbishop named Tuesday to lead the troubled Roman Catholic church in Philadelphia vowed to work to heal the wounds of sex-abuse victims, clergy and lay members alike.
Archbishop Charles Chaput, 66, of Denver takes over an archdiocese of nearly 1.5 million Catholics that’s been rocked by two grand jury reports that accuse the church of hiding sex-abuse complaints for decades. A high-ranking monsignor is charged with felony child endangerment for his handling of priest transfers.
And, like other dioceses, Philadelphia faces a dwindling supply of priests and nuns and seemingly endless rounds of school closings and consolidations.
“I do not know why the Holy Father sent me here,” said Chaput, who has spent most of his career in the western United States. “(But) no person will work harder to try to help persons who have been hurt by the sins of the past.”
Chaput is known as an outspoken bishop who criticizes Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, speaks out against government playing too large of a role in health care and opposes gay marriage and stem-cell research. Last year, he defended a Catholic school’s decision not to re-enroll a lesbian couple’s children.
Critics of his tenure in Colorado complain that he fought hard to block efforts to extend the time that child sex-abuse victims have to file suit. Chaput said he did so because he didn’t want the church treated differently under the law than anyone else.
“He has a lot of healing to do, and I hope that would be his focus. And for a long time, that should be his primary, if not sole focus,” said Nicholas Cafardi, a Duquesne University law professor who once served as counsel to the Pittsburgh archdiocese.
Outgoing Cardinal Justin Rigali, who traveled the world as a translator for three popes and was expected to land a job in Rome, will instead retire to Tennessee after eight turbulent years leading the archdiocese.
A city grand jury this year excoriated Rigali and his predecessor, finding they protected church interests over those of victims.
Rigali, 76, apologized for any shortcomings at a joint news conference Tuesday morning, a few hours after the pope announced Chaput’s appointment.
“If I have offended anyone in any way, I am deeply sorry,” Rigali said. “I apologize for any weaknesses on my part in representing Christ and the church.”
Chaput called him “one of the great churchmen of my lifetime.”
In a stunning break this spring, Ana Maria Cantazaro, the chairwoman of Rigali’s internal investigative panel on priest abuse, published an essay saying the cardinal and his bishops “failed miserably at being open and transparent” about problem priests.
The archdiocese now finds itself defending the first criminal indictment ever filed against a U.S. church official over the priest-abuse scandal. Monsignor William Lynn, 60, faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted of child endangerment and criminal conspiracy.
Two priests, an ex-priest and a former Catholic school teacher are charged in the same case with rape. Three of them raped the same boy, starting when he was a 10-year-old altar boy in 1998, the indictment charges.
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