Boston's new cardinal: a Capuchin priest called in as troubleshooter

Published: 2006-02-22

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When Archbishop -- now Cardinal-designate -- Sean P. O'Malley flew in to Boston less than three years ago on his first visit to his new archdiocese, he wore the standard brown habit and sandals of his religious order, the Capuchin Franciscans. The archdiocese was in financial and administrative disarray after 18 months at the epicenter of the national clergy sex abuse scandal. It faced a loss of confidence in its leadership, sharp declines in revenue and hundreds of sex abuse lawsuits.Cardinal-designate O'Malley, 61, and 14 other archbishops whom Pope Benedict XVI named cardinals Feb. 22 will be inducted into the College of Cardinals at a consistory in the Vatican March 24. Less than a year after his installation in Boston July 31, 2003, the new cardinal-designate reached a widely hailed $85 million settlement with more than 500 clergy sex abuse victims and sold off 43 acres of archdiocesan property, including the large mansion known as the cardinal's residence, to pay off the settlement. His success in that area has been tempered by ongoing conflicts over his decision in 2004 to close one-sixth of the archdiocese's parishes.

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