NEW JERSEY
NBC New York
By DAVID PORTER | Tuesday, Sep 24, 2013
Newark’s Roman Catholic archbishop on Tuesday introduced the cleric appointed by the Vatican to assist him and denied that the move was related to criticism over his handling of a sexually abusive priest.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda, recently of Gaylord, Mich., was named coadjutor archbishop for 72-year-old Archbishop John Myers, who is to retire in mid-2016 as head of the Newark Archdiocese. A coadjutor automatically succeeds the current archbishop upon retirement, transfer or death, according to a statement by the archdiocese. Myers said Tuesday he intends “to be here until I’m 75.”
Myers denied that Hebda’s appointment was related to the controversy over the Rev. Michael Fugee, who stepped down in May, or to accusations that he failed to take action against a priest accused of molestation when Myers was bishop of Peoria, Ill.
“Absolutely not,” Myers said. “It was at my own request. That was never part of any discussion and I don’t think that there are substantiated reasons for them doing so. I don’t think that it’s about that.”
On Tuesday, Myers said he had requested a coadjutor “some time ago” because the archdiocese is undertaking several major projects and he and two other bishops are in their 70s. Hebda is 54. When asked when he made the request, Myers declined to specify.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.