SYRACUSE (NY)
Post Standard
June 9, 2019
Last week, Central New York met the priest with the potential to lead the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse for the next 20 years: Bishop-elect Douglas Lucia, 56, a parish pastor and canon lawyer in the Ogdensburg Diocese. His elevation represents a pivot to a younger generation of leadership by an institution seeking to renew itself, regain the trust of its members and remain relevant in an increasingly secular world.
Lucia will take over from Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, whose decade as the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church in Syracuse was dominated by the clergy sexual abuse crisis and its fallout.
In his first public comments on the crisis, the bishop-elect expressed compassion for victims of clergy sexual abuse. “I just want to be a healing presence,” he said Tuesday at an introductory news conference.
He also signaled a willingness to be transparent about the perpetrators of sexual abuse. In a wide-ranging Q&A with staff writer Julie McMahon, Lucia said he favors releasing the names of priests with allegations against them.
It’s a point of view his predecessor came around to only as his time in office neared an end due to mandatory retirement. In December, Cunningham broke years of silence and released the names of 57 priests with credible accusations of sexual abuse against them. The bishop also created an independent process to compensate victims of clergy sexual abuse. The diocese has paid nearly $11 million to 79 victims, so far.
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