Will Archbishop Dolan Replace Cardinal Egan?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Now that Pope Benedict XVI has ended a visit that drew enthusiastic crowds in New York, there is renewed speculation that Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan may be a strong candidate to replace the Archdiocese of New York's Cardinal Edward M. Egan.

Egan routinely submitted his resignation to the pope last year after reaching retirement age, 75. It is not unusual for popes to let cardinals serve longer, but Egan reportedly wants to leave whenever the pope is ready to accept his resignation.

John Allen, a widely respected American author and journalist who covers the Vatican for the National Catholic Reporter, said Thursday in a telephone interview from Rome that "the two names that I hear talked about the most, kind of around the water cooler, would be Tim Dolan of Milwaukee and (Archbishop) Wilton Gregory of Atlanta." But he also cautioned against putting stock in "the buzz meter," saying predictions of bishops' appointments often are wrong.

Both are the right age - Dolan, 58, and Gregory, 60. Neither is from New York or the East Coast - a minus - but both have played on the national stage. And both could remedy Egan's lack of a strong public profile in a bully pulpit whose holder is seen as the premier spokesman for the Catholic Church in the United States, Allen said.

..."I don't think it's automatic that it's going to be either Wilton or Tim," Allen added. "I will say this, and this is on the basis of some insider knowledge. I'm quite confident they're both going to get serious looks for the job. . . . There has not been a significant opening in the American church in the last two or three years for which Tim Dolan wasn't on the short list of candidates. So, whether it's New York or something else, the point is that a lot of people see him as an important future leader of this church."

I can understand why a lot of people see Archbishop Dolan as an "important future leader of this church."

It would be a great honor to replace Cardinal Egan. I think Dolan is an excellent candidate.

That said, I think it would be very hard on the people of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to lose Dolan.

The Archdiocese is facing tremendous challenges, mainly due to the effects of the clergy sex abuse scandal. The challenges go beyond the financial matters, with the Archdiocese teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and working through massive job cuts impacting ministries.

There's also the matter of Archbishop Rembert Weakland. I don't think the wounds from the scandal are healed, but I do think that the leadership of Dolan has been a tremendous help in restoring people's confidence in the Church.

After such a horrible betrayal, it's difficult to trust again. It's difficult to write out checks, knowing in the past nearly a half million dollars in hush money was paid out in Weakland's case.

Dolan has been a great comfort to many people whose faith in the Church was shaken by the abuses of Weakland. If Dolan were to leave now, it would be a setback for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and I think his departure could result in serious long term consequences for the future of the Church in southeastern Wisconsin.