Vatican Replacement for Boston’s Cardinal Law Boldly Pro-Life

BOSTON, July 3, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bishop Sean O’Malley, only recently appointed to a Florida diocese, has been placed by Pope John Paul II as the bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.  A Vatican official told Catholic News Service that the move demonstrated both the seriousness of the problems in the Boston diocese – the epicentre of the sexual abuse scandal – and the confidence the Vatican places in Bishop O’Malley.  O’Malley, a Capuchian friar, was described by the Vatican official as “a man of great spirituality.”  Archbishop-elect O’Malley delivered a strong pro-life statement when appointed to the Palm Beach diocese last year.  In that reflection he said: “I will not vote for any politician who will promote abortion or the culture of death, no matter how appealing the rest of his or her program might be. They are wolves in sheep’s garments, the K.K.K. without the sheets, and sadly enough, they don’t even know it.”  He acknowledged, ‘I am Irish enough to understand that the tribal allegiances that bound us to the Democratic Party are very strong and in our not-too-distant past, quite understandable.”  However, he warned, “If I were ever tempted to vote for simply selfish reasons, tribal allegiances, or economic advantages rather than on the moral direction of the country, I should beat a hasty retreat from the curtain of the polling booth to the curtain of the confessional.”  See Bishop O’Malley’s reflection and the Catholic News Service coverage:  https://www.diocesepb.org/statements/st10302002.htm https://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20030701.htm