The St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorializes on the appointment of O’Malley to Boston. While I agree with them in applauding the choice of O’Malley for Boston based on first impressions, I am beginning to be dismayed a little by the retrospective mud-slinging against Cardinal Law.
Bishop O’Malley, 59, a Franciscan friar, would seem to be the perfect choice for Pope John Paul II. Like the pope, Bishop O’Malley is a doctrinal conservative, likely to rein in efforts to turn more of archdiocesan affairs over to lay people. But unlike his equally conservative predecessor, Cardinal Bernard F. Law, Bishop O’Malley is a man with a warm, outgoing personality. Significantly, he also has experience in cleaning up clergy sex abuse scandals in two other dioceses. And he’s Irish, to boot. [emphasis added]
Who says Cardinal Law wasn’t warm and outgoing? These people obviously never saw him meeting with people one-on-one. I had several personal encounters with the cardinal and saw him meet others and I don’t think you could find a more gregarious and open man. And that was especially true of him with young people. I went on two World youth Day pilgrimages with the cardinal and the teens and adults loved the man.
