NEW YORK — The next Roman Catholic archbishop of New York is known as a gentle enforcer of Vatican teaching — a faithful servant of Rome who can disarm his critics with his self-deprecating wit, human touch and love of a good cigar.
The Rev. Timothy M. Dolan, 59, was named by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday to what is perhaps the most influential post in American Catholicism. At a news conference, Dolan pledged “my life, my heart, my soul” to the 2.5 million parishioners of the archdiocese, the nation’s second-largest after Los Angeles.
Dolan, currently the archbishop of Milwaukee, will succeed the retiring Cardinal Edward Egan, 76. Dolan will be installed April 15 and is expected to be elevated to cardinal.
“He’s going to defend and promote church orthodoxy,” said David Gibson, a former Vatican Radio journalist. “But he’s a friendly guy who knows how to translate that into a real kind of pastoral presence.”
Born in St. Louis, Dolan began his path to the priesthood as a boy, setting up a play altar in his basement with cardboard boxes and sheets. He attended a seminary prep school in Missouri and was ordained in 1976. In 1985, he earned a doctorate in church history from Catholic University.
After working as a parish priest and professor, Dolan spent seven years as rector of the North American College in Rome, considered the West Point for U.S. priests, where he had studied for his own ordination.
At the seminary in Rome, Dolan was known as a polished orator who wrote his sermons and notes in flowing cursive but rarely had to consult them. Like other bishops of his generation, Dolan is known as a defender of Catholic orthodoxy, affirming church teaching against abortion and supporting the all-male celibate priesthood.
But he also “understands the way to lead people to a richer, fuller life in Christ is persuading them. So punishment, vindictiveness or pettiness of any sort is just not part of his nature,” said the Rev. Steven Avella, professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Dolan can preach and celebrate the sacraments in Spanish — something beneficial in the New York area, which has a large and growing Latino population.
