The local news outlets and the Catholic blogosphere were abuzz
with the news that Robert Deeley, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Boston, had been appointed Bishop of Portland, Maine, by Pope Francis. I had not realized, until I read the press
releases, that they had been without a bishop for a long time. Currently, he is serving as the Vicar General
of the Boston Archdiocese. The
Archdiocesan newspaper, The Pilot, has reported on the story.
This appointment raises the question again about how much “juice,”
Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston, has in Rome. As a member of the newly formed Council of
Cardinals, (also known as the “G8,”) one can speculate that he was a force
behind the establishment of a papal advisory commission, dealing with the child
abuse crisis within the global Church.
The Diocese of Portland is a part of the Ecclesiastical Province of
Boston, with Cardinal O’Malley as the metropolitan bishop. From so many angles, the Cardinal must have
some influence in the selection of Bishop Deeley for Portland.
I read somewhere that the Cardinal could have even more
influence in Rome, if he wanted to play the church political game. However, there are indications that Cardinal
Sean has no interest in engaging in Vatican power plays; it goes against his
Franciscan nature. It will be
interesting to see that holds true as his involvement in the pontificate of Pope
Francis continues.
