Congratulations, Bishop Wuerl.

Pope Benedict XVI names Bishop Wuerl as new archbishop of Washington

Lord, bless and protect your servant, Donald.

The Vatican today announced that Pittsburgh Bishop Donald Wuerl has been named archbishop of Washington, D.C., to replace retiring Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

"The decision of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to transfer me to the Archdiocese of Washington is one I embrace in the context of faith in God’s providential care," said Wuerl, 65, a native of Mt. Washington. Wuerl has been bishop of Pittsburgh since 1988 and will celebrate the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood later this year.

"Although I am greatly aware of my own limitations, I find strength in the pope’s trust in me and also in the prayerful support I have always found from the Catholic faithful I have attempted to serve here in the Diocese of Pittsburgh."

McCarrick submitted his resignation to the pope as required of all bishops when he turned 75 in July. In a brief statement, the Vatican said Benedict had accepted McCarrick's resignation and named Wuerl to replace him.

As head of the Pittsburgh diocese, Wuerl is the spiritual leader of about 800,000 Catholics in 214 parishes in six counties. The Washington archdiocese consists of 560,000 Catholics in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

While smaller in population, the archbishop of the Washington, D.C., is a high-profile position in the American Catholic church, said Francesco Cesareo, dean of the Duquesne University McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts, who has worked closely with Wuerl on a number of projects.

Historically, the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., has been elevated to the position of cardinal. The cardinals' primary task is electing a pope, but they also are called on to advise the pontiff on running the church.

"I think bishop Wuerl has been phenomenal in Pittsburgh," said Cesareo, who is on a year-long sabbatical in Rome. "His talents are such that he certainly is qualified to serve the church on the national stage. I don't know anybody who works as hard, and as long as he does."

Cesareo noted that Wuerl is among only a handful of U.S. bishops who holds a doctoral degree in theology.

Wuerl was one of the American delegates at the Vatican's meeting of the world's bishops in October that tackled pressing issues facing the church, including the shortage of priests. Wuerl rejected any changes to the celibacy requirement for priests and suggested dioceses share clergy and step up recruiting to address the shortage.

Wuerl recently announced that the Pittsburgh diocese would be the first in the state to hire bishop-appointed deacons or members of the laity to direct parishes and supervise many day-to-day activities. About 15 of the diocese's 214 parishes currently share priests.

The Rev. Thomas Reese, the former editor of the national Catholic weekly magazine "America" said Wuerl's experience working in the Vatican in the 1970s as an assistant to the late Cardinal John Wright, will be valuable as the archbishop of Washington, D.C.

"Bishop Wuerl is known as someone who is loyal to the Vatican and he is highly respected by the other U.S. bishops," said Reese. "He has proven that he can handle himself, which is important in that position. He's proven that he can tackle tough issues, whether it's the need to reorganize churches to deal with a shifting population, or taking a tough stand on abusive priests."

Reese said Wuerl emerged as a national leader in the "zero-tolerance" policy for dealing with the clergy sexual abuse.

"He clearly understood the nature and the problem and took a tough stand in dealing with abusive priests long before other bishops," Reese said.
When Bill Hanlon, 78, of Shadyside arrived for services at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland this morning, he was surprised to learn of Wuerl’s transfer.

“God bless him,” Hanlon said. “I hope the people of D.C. appreciate what a great gift God is giving them here.”

His wife Teresa Hanlon, 73, said Wuerl would be missed. “He’s done a lot of good for us here and we will miss him,” she said. “I always like watching his TV show on Sunday morning. I watch it before I go to church.”

Wuerl also has hosted the nationally syndicated weekly television show "The Teaching of Christ" for 17 years.

Evelyn Harrison, 62, of Oakland, said she hopes the Vatican takes its time picking Wuerl’s replacement.

"Whoever he is, he will have some big shoes to fill," Harrison said.

The diocese announced Wuerl would serve through June 22.

Rev. Ronald Lengwin said the process of choosing a replacement for Wuerl involved consultation with the bishops as well as members of the diocese, to determine who would be the best fit for the position.

"The Vatican sends out confidential questionnaires to people in the diocese in positions of leadership, to ask what are the needs of the diocese," Lengwin said.

In some cases, the process has taken as long as a year, he said, but it doesn’t typically take that long for a diocese as large as Pittsburgh.
Wuerl is a prolific writer and is co-author of the best-selling adult catechism "The Teaching of Christ," which is in its 30th year of publication and fifth edition. The book has been translated into more than 10 languages.

Born on Nov. 12, 1940, Wuerl is the second of four children. He attended St. Mary of the Mount School in Mount Washington and Athenaeum of Ohio for two years before winning the prestigious Basselin Scholarship to study at the Catholic University of America.

He earned graduate degrees from Catholic University and the Gregorian University in Rome. He received his doctorate in theology from the University of Saint Thomas in Rome in 1974.

He was ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II on January 6, 1986, in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. After serving in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Wuerl was installed as the 11th bishop of Pittsburgh on Feb.12, 1988.

Phyllis Washington, 80, of East Liberty, said she would pray for Wuerl.
"I hope he knows all of us are going to be supporting him in Pittsburgh," she said. "He’s a good man." (Thanks to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for the heads up.)


A Statement by Bishop Wuerl

The decision of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, to transfer me to the Archdiocese of Washington, is one I embrace in the context of faith in God’s providential care. Although I am greatly aware of my own limitations, I find strength in the Pope’s trust in me and also in the prayerful support I have always found from the Catholic faithful I have attempted to serve here in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

For more than 18 years I have tried to serve Christ in his Church with all of my heart and ability. The Church of Pittsburgh will always hold a unique place in my affection. It was here that I first heard the Gospel, was nurtured in the sacraments, was supported in my response to the call to priesthood and where I first experienced pastoral ministry as a newly ordained priest.

I am deeply grateful to you the clergy, religious and lay faithful who have always shared a common commitment to the Lord and recognized the embrace of God’s grace working among all of us. Thank you.

In all of the efforts to build up this Church and manifest God’s Kingdom in our midst we together have addressed the spiritual and faith renewal of this six county-wide diocese. In solidarity we have undertaken the revitalization and reorganization process, we have worked diligently in unity to pass on the faith in our religious education programs and schools, we have entered into an Envisioning Ministry process to ensure that fewer priests will not mean less ministry and we have attempted to care for our sisters and brothers, neighbors and friends in need. All of this responding to what Pope Benedict XVI calls the essential mission of the Church: to proclaim the Gospel, to celebrate the sacraments, and to care for those in need. And we have done it together, as God’s family.

During these nearly two decades I have had the opportunity for extensive involvement with the wider community, sometimes in programs involving civic leadership, in areas such as youth crime prevention, faith-based and community agencies, inner-city and urban center Catholic education for minority youth, and numerous interfaith and ecumenical activities. To so many, I say with a heart full of appreciation. Thank you!

These memories, experiences, celebrations and prayers that we have shared and lived together I will carry in my heart.

When I was first named a bishop I chose as my episcopal motto “Thy Kingdom Come.” That challenge is a reminder that all we say and do should help in some way to manifest God’s Kingdom among us until it comes in its fullness in glory.

As I begin to conclude my ministry in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, I am sincerely grateful to God for the opportunity to have served in this portion of his vineyard and to have worked together with so many of the clergy, religious and lay faithful in manifesting the Kingdom here in our corner of the world. Thank you for the great blessing all of you have been to me!
As I accept this new responsibility and carry with me the memories and experiences of this diocese, I hope I can always bring with me as well your prayerful support and faith-filled good wishes.

May God bless you.

Thank you.