William E. Lori

His Excellency, The Most Reverend
William Edward Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore

Lori as Archbishop of Baltimore in 2014
Archdiocese Baltimore
Appointed March 20, 2012
Installed May 16, 2012
Predecessor Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Orders
Ordination May 14, 1977
by William Wakefield Baum
Consecration April 20, 1995
by James Aloysius Hickey
Personal details
Born (1951-05-06) 6 May 1951
Louisville, Kentucky
Nationality American
Denomination Catholic
Previous post
Motto CARITAS IN VERITATE
(Latin: Charity in truth)
Styles of
William Edward Lori
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop

William Edward Lori (born May 6, 1951) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland since 2012.[1]

Archbishop Lori had previously served as the fourth Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut from 2001 until 2012.[2] Prior to taking that post he served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1995 until 2001.[3] Lori is known for his opposition to government actions requiring religious groups to provide coverage for abortion and contraceptives.

Early life and education

William Edward Lori was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 6, 1951. He attended the Seminary of Saint Pius X in Erlanger, Kentucky where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1973.[4] He holds an M.A. from Mount Saint Mary's Seminary and a S.T.D. from The Catholic University of America. He serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut and is the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.[5][6]

Ordination and ministry

Lori was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal William Baum on May 14, 1977. His first assignment was as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Landover, MD. Lori then held a number of positions in the archdiocese's chancery including vicar general, moderator of the Curia, and secretary to Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, the Archbishop of Washington who succeeded Baum.[2]

Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Washington

Lori was consecrated as a bishop on April 20, 1995 by Cardinal Hickey. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington. While serving in this capacity, Lori led an investigation at the behest of Cardinal Hickey into the activities of a heterodox parish in Georgetown. Investigators questioned priests, staff and volunteers in the parish, taping their interviews and asking them to pledge their honesty. The investigation revealed that two Protestant ministers had been allowed to deliver and receive communion. Two of the parish priests apologized publicly for violations of canon law.[7]

Lori is member of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.[8] In 2001 he invited Sister Mary Nirmala Joshi, M.C., superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, to Bridgeport for the opening of the Sisters' first convent in Connecticut.

Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut

In March 2001, Lori was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, succeeding Edward Egan, who had been appointed Archbishop of New York. As Bishop of Bridgeport, Lori launched new initiatives in support of Catholic Education, Vocations, Catholic Charities, Pastoral Services, and other ministries, while improving Financial Stewardship. He also worked collaboratively with the laity to increase participation and foster lay leadership throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport. In 2002, in recognition of his role as an emerging leader on the Church's response to the sexual misconduct crisis, Lori was appointed to the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse. He was instrumental in drafting the landmark Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. As one of four U.S. bishops on a special Mixed Commission, he journeyed to Vatican City to seek approval for the "Essential Norms" of the Charter, which is now particular law for the Catholic Church in the United States.[9]

In 2005, he was elected Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus, where he has the responsibility of overseeing the spiritual welfare of the Order's 1.8 million members and their families. In his extensive writing and speaking on behalf of the Knights, Lori has focused on the spiritual vision of the Venerable Father Michael J. McGivney, the Founder of the Knights of Columbus. Lori is also writing a series of monthly articles in Columbia Magazine on the compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Additionally, he has helped guide many spiritual initiatives of the Order, most notably the Order's third Eucharistic Congress held in Chicago in 2005, and the International Marian Congress and Guadalupe Festival held in Phoenix in 2009. He has also worked closely with the Supreme Knight in highlighting the role of Knights of Columbus chaplains at every level of the Order. As a result, Lori was honored at the April 10, 2010 at the Supreme Board of Directors, meeting in Philadelphia in a resolution that expressing gratitude for his contributions to the Order and the Church.[9]

In April, 2011, Bishop Lori was the keynote speaker at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., where he paid tribute to Pope John Paul II and urged Catholics to defend his legacy of religious liberty and human dignity. In a speech widely reported across the U.S., Lori told the gathering that religious freedom is not "a carve-out" granted by the state, but an inalienable right. He also called for the protection of "conscience rights" for health care providers.[9]

On September 29, 2011, New York Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) appointed Lori the chair of a newly formed Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty to address growing concerns over the erosion of freedom of religion in America. On October 26, 2011, serving as new head of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Bishop Lori called on Congress to defend the American legacy of religious liberty during a hearing before the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. He noted several recent actions by government entities that mark the erosion of the freedom of religion, often called the nation's "First Freedom." These actions include a health coverage mandate that would coerce employers to pay for services for which they have moral objections, such as abortion, sterilization and contraceptives, and government contracting decisions that exclude agencies unless they provide such services.[9]

In November 2011, Lori addressed the assembled United States bishops at their annual fall meeting in Baltimore. "There is no religious liberty if we are not free to express our faith in the public square and if we are not free to act on that faith through works of education, health care and charity," he said in his address to the bishops. In a speech widely reported across the nation, Lori warned of the dangers of treating religion "merely as a private matter between an individual and his or her God." Citing an "aggressive secularism" as a competing system of belief, he said that recent court decisions and proposed regulations treat religion "as a divisive and disruptive force better kept out of public life," which the government continues to encroach on individual lives. He called for interfaith collaboration to defend religious liberty and conscience rights in our culture.[9]

In March 2012, Lori's Committee issued a comprehensive statement of the U.S. bishops on religious liberty. It includes examples of the current attacks on religious liberty in the United States, articulates Church teaching and issues a call to action to American Catholics. The statement opens with the following passage: "We are Catholics. We are Americans. We are proud to be both, grateful for the gift of faith which is ours as Christian disciples, and grateful for the gift of liberty which is ours as American citizens. To be Catholic and American should mean not having to choose one over the other." He continued, saying: "In insisting that our liberties as Americans be respected, we know as bishops that what our Holy Father said is true. This work belongs to 'an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture.'"[9]

Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland

On March 20, 2012, Lori was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore by Pope Benedict XVI. He assumed that role upon his installation on May 16, 2012.[1]

Views

Lori, appointed in late September to chair the USCCB's Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, testified before a House subcommittee on Oct. 26, 2011. He asked for Congressional action in response to regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services in August requiring coverage of contraception and sterilization in most private health insurance plans; rules that would deny government funding to the bishops' Migration and Refugee Services if it does not provide the "full range" of reproductive services, including abortion and contraception, to human trafficking victims and unaccompanied refugee minors; the U.S. Agency for International Development's requirement that Catholic Relief Services and other contractors include condom distribution in their HIV prevention activities and provide contraception in a range of international relief and development programs; the Department of Justice's refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act; the Justice Department's efforts to modify the "ministerial exception" that exempts religious institutions from some civil laws with respect to employment; certain state actions of a similar nature.[17]

While serving as head of the USCCB ad hoc committee on religious liberty, he led the bishops campaign for religious liberty known as the Fortnight for Freedom.[18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "NOMINA DELL'ARCIVESCOVO DI BALTIMORE (U.S.A.)" (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. 2012-03-20.
  2. 1 2 Biography of Bishop William E. Lori, S.T.D. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  3. Bishop William Edward Lori Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  4. Bishop William Lori Elected Chairman of Catholic University's Board of Trustees Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  5. Bishop Lori Elected as New Supreme Chaplain Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  6. Q & A/Bishop William E. Lori; 'A Different Mix of Talents, A Different Personality' Retrieved 2010-03-04
  7. 1 2 Hartford Courant: "Bishop 'Law And Order' Lori Takes The Point" November 13, 2002
  8. Pope Names Washington Auxiliary Bishop William Lori as Bishop of Bridgeport, CT Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 http://www.archbalt.org/about-us/the-archdiocese/our-history/people/lori.cfm
  10. New York Times: "Portrayal of the Church Causes Unease" March 19, 2002
  11. New York Times: "Bridgeport Bishop Joins Group Developing Policy on Abuse" May 4, 2002
  12. American Catholic: "U.S. Bishops Approve Revised Sex-Abuse Policy" 2003
  13. New York Times: "After Accused Priest's Suicide, Shock and Second Thoughts" May 18, 2002
  14. Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  15. Why is Fr. Peter Phan under investigation?
  16. Muth, Chaz (9 March 2009). "Bishops urge rejection of bill giving laity parish fiscal rule". Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  17. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1104218.htm
  18. Goodstein, Laurie (13 June 2012). "Bishops Defend Fight Against Obama's Policy on Birth Control Coverage". New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2012.

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Federico Bonifacio Madersbacher Gasteiger OFM
Titular Bishop of Bulla
28 February 1995–23 January 2001
Succeeded by
Percival Joseph Fernandez
Preceded by
Edward Egan
Bishop of Bridgeport
23 January 2001–20 March 2012
Succeeded by
Frank Joseph Caggiano
Preceded by
Thomas Vose Daily
Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus
2005–present
Incumbent
Preceded by
Edwin Frederick O'Brien
Archbishop of Baltimore
20 March 2012–present
Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.