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With no successor in sight, Newark archbishop could remain in post past 75
By Laura Herzog
[with video] NEWARK — Following the unexpected Minnesota placement of the presumed future archbishop of New Jersey's largest archdiocese, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers could now remain in his post past age 75 — the canon-law age at which bishops must submit their resignations. This isn't "unusual," according to religious experts. According to canon law, bishops are asked to submit their resignation at age 75, but it is up to the pope to determine when he accepts that resignation. But, Newark Archdiocese spokesman Jim Goodness said, bishops can no longer be active in their posts after age 80. Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, a well-regarded canon lawyer with degrees from Harvard and Columbia universities and ample experience in Rome, was named Coadjutor Archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese in September 2013. This essentially meant he was set to succeed Myers when he turned 75 in July. Instead, Pope Francis surprised members of the Newark Archdiocese Thursday when he announced he was appointing Hebda Archbishop in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In June, in light of a sex scandal that rocked the Twin City Archdiocese, Hebda was named the interim leader, but he said at the time that he thought the post was temporary. Goodness said he didn't want to speculate on whether or not a replacement for Myers would be found before July. However, he said, there have been several bishops who stayed active in their posts past age 75. In March, the pope named Bishop-Elect James Checchio the new Archbishop of Metuchen to replace Archbishop Paul Bootkoski, who turned 75 last July, he said. Checchio will be installed as the new Archbishop of Metuchen in May. "It's not an unusual situation," Goodness said. "(Several years ago) Bishop Frank Rodimer of Paterson remained after he had submitted his letter of resignation for close to a year before Bishop Arthur Serratelli was named and installed as the bishop." According to Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese, a senior analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, Pope Paul VI put in the age requirement for bishops' resignations. Reese added that, because the pope appointed a coadjutor to Newark in the first place, it seems "highly unlikely" Myers will be allowed to stay in place long after turning 75. "I would expect a new archbishop by the end of the summer, or certainly by the end of the year," he said. Kean University Associate Professor of History Christopher Bellitto, an expert on papal affairs, said "75 is a good, long age." For popes, however, there is no age limit for the job, Bellitto said. He emphasized that this rule for priests and bishops does not mean they cease to "be" priests or bishops. "If you're ordained, you never stop being a priest of a bishop. What you lose is your job," he explained. "You have to resign." Hebda's new appointment, Bellitto said, was truly shocking because he had been name coadjutor in Newark. That usually guarantees "immediate right of succession," he said. Typically, this title is granted in situations where the archbishop's health is ailing, but with the "significant problems in the Archdiocese of Newark, they were looking for a seamless transition," Bellitto noted. Hebda was brought to Newark three years ago, after Myers faced serious criticism for his handling of a priest who was charged with groping a boy. Last June, Hebda was assigned to Minnesota a week after prosecutors criminally charged the archdiocese of the Twin Cities with systemically failing to protect children from a sexually abusive priest. The pope's decision on Thursday to move Hebda out west has shocked New Jersey, where Catholics bemoaned the pope's decision. "Hebda has the reputation for being a fixer. He comes in and fixes problems, and that's why he was sent to Newark. A bigger problem came along," Bellitto said.
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