By Kathryn Marchocki
New Hampshire Union Leader
February 10, 2010
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Bishop%27s+mandatory+resignation+date+nears&articleId=d08ec346-78da-4b2d-8fba-9ff105462213
NEW HAMPSHIRE -- Bishop John B. McCormack is one of 11 bishops who head Roman Catholic dioceses and three auxiliary bishops in the United States who must submit their resignations to the Pope when they turn 75 this year.
In New England alone, where McCormack is senior prelate, he is one of three bishops who will reach the mandatory retirement age this year. Bishop Peter A. Rosazza, auxiliary bishop of Hartford, Conn., turns 75 on Saturday. Boston archdiocese auxiliary Bishop Emilio S. Allue will turn 75 on Feb. 18.
McCormack, who became the ninth bishop of the Manchester diocese in 1998, will turn 75 on Aug. 12.
 |
| McCormack |
While bishops must hand in their resignations to Pope Benedict XVI when they turn 75, the Pope is under no obligation to accept them, said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center in Washington, D.C.
Already there are four U.S. bishops who head dioceses who are serving past their retirement age -- including two who submitted their resignations as long as 18 months ago, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.
And five U.S. dioceses currently are vacant, or have no bishop.
Still, church experts say any backlog likely is a result of the administrative process the Vatican faces in finding and appointing successors and note a spurt of new appointments in the last year.
"Generally (the Pope) has been accepting bishops' resignations, and I think it is likely he will accept Bishop McCormack's, probably within a few months of his turning 75," University of New Hampshire professor and sociology department chairman Michele M. Dillon said in a recent interview.
In the last 12 months, Pope Benedict XVI appointed six bishops to head then-vacant U.S. dioceses, the bishop's conference reported. He also accepted resignations from 12 bishops and immediately appointed their successors, the USCCB said.
"There are a lot of bishops resigning. There are also a lot of people standing in line waiting for the opportunity for a promotion. The church is a hierarchy and there are certainly a lot of priests and auxiliary bishops who might ... expect to move up the ladder," added Dillon, who studies and writes about the Catholic church.
It usually takes at least six to eight months to appoint a new bishop, the USCCB said. Church experts predict McCormack's resignation would be no different unless all the work involved in choosing his successor was done prior to his resignation.
The process of selecting bishops is difficult to predict -- and always secret.
And the fact McCormack turns 75 in August when the Vatican and the rest of Europe is on vacation could delay it, Reese said.
"It's very hard to predict," Reese said. "Under normal circumstances, I think the earliest you would get an appointment is sometime around Christmas."
The bishop's upcoming resignation is nothing new for church watchers and critics who long have tried to force McCormack to resign for how he handled the child sexual abuse crisis while he served under Cardinal Bernard F. Law in the Boston archdiocese.
Laity and clergy here greet it with mixed reactions.
"I think there is good will toward Bishop McCormack among a significant group of priests. I don't think people say, 'I can't wait for him to get out.' But I'm sure there are a few who would have that attitude. But to think the whole nature of the diocese would change because of a particular bishop, I don't think that respects the resilience of dioceses, and dioceses go on," said the Rev. Michael Kerper, pastor of Corpus Christi Parish in Portsmouth.
The New Hampshire council of the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization with more than 7,200 members, is one of the largest lay groups in the state.
"It's sad to hear he's going. I've known him for quite a few years," state deputy Edward A. McCann of Merrimack said.
Still, he said he's heard laity express varying opinions about McCormack -- "some for the good, some for the bad."
The apostolic nuncio, who is the Pope's representative to the church and its hierarchy in the U.S., will play a major role in the selection of the next bishop, Reese said. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the current apostolic nuncio, will give the Vatican the names of three men he recommends for the post, Reese said. Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, also will be consulted, he said.
Bishop McCormack also must prepare a report for the Vatican on the condition and needs of the Manchester diocese and suggest what type of person would best meet them.
Dillon said she expects the Vatican will place great weight on "the ongoing pastoral needs of the people" in making its choice. These include helping people cope with the ongoing economic recession, serving the hungry, homeless and poor and assisting the rising number of immigrants and refugees.
A new bishop also would have to be sensitive to the "fairly raw pain" that remains in the aftermath of the clergy sex abuse crisis and help restore credibility among his people, she added..
Bishop McCormack also may suggest a candidate to succeed him, Reese said.
"McCormack also may have someone in mind that he would like to suggest who might be a priest from the diocese or more likely it may be a bishop, probably an auxiliary," Reese said.
McCormack was not available for comment. Diocesan spokesman Kevin J. Donovan said the bishop "is not speculating on when his retirement would be accepted."
McAnn said the Knights have heard no names mentioned regarding a successor.
"Everybody's guessing right now," McAnn said. "The only one some of us were talking about is Bishop Christian."
Auxiliary Bishop Francis J. Christian is the diocese's other active bishop.
But church experts said it generally is more likely the next bishop would come from outside the diocese.
Only two of the nine bishops appointed to head the Manchester diocese in its 125-year history have been New Hampshire natives.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.