NEW YORK (WABC) — After being appointed Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan went on to become one of the most influential leaders in the Catholic Church.
Dolan was a 59-year-old lifelong Midwesterner when Pope Benedict tapped him to lead the 2.8 million Catholics that make up the New York Archdiocese.
“I come before you in awe, and I admit some trepidation knowing I have an awful lot to learn about you and this dynamic local church,” Dolan said.
It was 2009, and he was leaving Wisconsin to take arguably the most prominent and influential position in the American Catholic Church, but he displayed two traits that are vital to succeed in New York: he was charismatic and media-savvy.
“I’m supposed to be in the business of sales, mainly selling Jesus Christ and his gospel and his invitation to eternal life. Any salesman is going to use any outlet he can,” Dolan said during one of his first sitdowns with Eyewitness News.
After an installation ceremony that was rich in pomp and tradition, Dolan went to work.
In his first few months, he was forced to close schools and combine parishes, all while learning about an archdiocese that encompasses three city boroughs and seven northern counties.
“I am still your new baby archbishop and my heart is so very, very grateful,” Dolan said.
By 2012, that “baby archbishop” was elevated to cardinal.
In a short amount of time, he gained considerable power, including the ability to vote in the next papal conclave, which came one year later, when Pope Francis was elected.
“When that number is reached, there is just a sense, I don’t know how to describe it, a sense of resignation, serenity, gratitude. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house,” Dolan said.
He would then host the new pope during a three-day visit to New York in 2015.
Over the next several years, as his stature and influence grew, Cardinal Dolan took a larger role on the national and international stage.
He visited Ukraine at the start of the war.
“We just want to let them know they are not alone. The world has not forgotten about them. We love them, we are praying with them,” Dolan said.
And he spoke at the Republican National Convention.
His elevated global status played a role in this spring’s papal conclave as Dolan was said to be a “Kingmaker” of sorts, rallying the English-speaking cardinals around the man who would become Pope Leo the Fourteenth.
Dolan will leave his successor with a few challenges; just last week, the archdiocese sold off real estate to help compensate sex abuse survivors.
Also, New York, like so many other places, is dealing with a priest shortage.
Still, his 16 years leading New York’s Catholics will likely be remembered for his charisma, openness, and jovial personality.
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