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	Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse Will Install New Bishop Tuesday 'I Felt I Knew How to Handle Them,' Says Retiring Bishop James Moynihan By Renee K. Gadoua The Post-Standard May 25, 2009 http://www.syracuse.com/articles/religion/index.ssf?/base/news-1/124324174523610.xml&coll=1 Bishop James M. Moynihan's career as shepherd of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse included the clergy sex-abuse scandal and the reconfiguration process, which closed and merged dozens of churches. But don't assume the retiring bishop views these as low points. "I'm glad I was here for the rocky times," he said Friday. "I felt I knew how to handle them, and the Holy Spirit was with me. I did it with help." Moynihan, 76, was installed the ninth bishop of the Syracuse Diocese in May 1995. His retirement becomes official Tuesday after the installation of his successor, Robert J. Cunningham, who has been bishop of the Ogdensburg Diocese since 2004. Moynihan, a Rochester native, will stay in Syracuse and continue living in the former Daughters of Charity convent, where he moved in November. Moynihan said he has no regrets about his tenure in Syracuse. "I was a lucky guy," he said. "I've enjoyed being a bishop for these people." The sex-abuse scandal, which began in early 2002, was "a time of great pain and humiliation," he said. "Everyone was hurting," he said. "My job was to be there for everyone, the abused and the abusers." He stands by his decision not to name priests accused of sexual abuse. "We're not supposed to," he said. "It's against the Eighth Commandment." He's impatient with the handful of bishops who have named accused abusers. "They shouldn't," he said. "They should remember their Baltimore Catechism." Despite some protests and appeals to the Vatican seeking reversals of his decisions about church closures, Moynihan considers the reconfiguration process a success. In spring 2007, he announced changes that will ultimately close at least 40 churches. "People were ready for it," he said. He acknowledged that he has had critics on reconfiguration and other issues. "Not everyone can agree with you 5,000 percent," he said. Moynihan submitted his resignation to the pope on his 75th birthday on July 6, 2007, as required by church law. In December, he asked the Vatican representative to the United States to speed up the selection because of ongoing health problems. In August 2006, he underwent heart surgery. He has been hospitalized several times for complications stemming from knee surgery, and he is facing more surgery. "The people are ready to have a bishop available 24 hours a day, every day," he said. "People should have a bishop who is hale and hearty. They're ready for that." Renee K. Gadoua can be reached at rgadoua@syracuse.com or 470-2203.
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