Cardinal John O'Connor dies

May 4, 2000
Web posted at: 7:56 a.m. EDT (1156 GMT)

O'Connor was considered the spiritual leader of New York's Catholic community

In this story: 'Tireless work on behalf of the poor' 'Kill me instead' Chaplain in Korean, Vietnam wars Addressed labor, housing, health issues Brain cancer Awarded Congressional Gold Medal RELATED STORIES, SITES

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Cardinal John O'Connor, the spiritual leader of more than 2 million Roman Catholics in the New York Archdiocese, has died. He was 80 years old.

He had been in poor health since an operation to remove a brain tumor in August 1999. A spokesman said the cardinal's health took a "sudden and dramatic turn for the worse" Wednesday morning.

VIDEO CNN's Deborah Feyerick looks back on his life. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     ALSO Possible successors to Cardinal John O'Connor     MESSAGE BOARD Remembering Cardinal O'Connor   Milestones in O'Connor's life Born in Philadelphia January 15, 1920 1936 Entered seminary 1945 Ordained 1952 Entered military service; served 27 years as military chaplain 1979 Retired with rank of rear admiral 1983 Became bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania 1984 Made archbishop of New York 1985 Made a cardinal Died in New York, May 3, 2000

"His Eminence Cardinal John O'Connor has completed his earthly journey and has gone home to God," Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday night.

Cardinal O'Connor was a national figure, sought out by U.S. presidential candidates and world leaders and considered Pope John Paul II's most important American ally.

"The Church has lost a great warrior and the country has lost a great patriot who will long be remembered," said the Rev. Billy Graham. "He was a bold and courageous man who stood firmly for what he believed."

O'Connor died at 8:05 p.m. at his Manhattan residence with his sister, Mary Ward, other family members, clergy and colleagues by his side. His funeral is scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m. at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

The cardinal had received the sacrament of the sick last Saturday. He had been experiencing a growing weakness during the past month and a half.

'Tireless work on behalf of the poor'

President Clinton, in a statement through spokesman Joe Lockhart, said he and the first lady were saddened to learn of the cardinal's death.

"His lifelong journey of faith was our nation's blessing which speaks of determination to give our voice to the poor and neglected in New York and across America," Clinton said.

"The compassion and firm faith he showed in his final illness inspired us all."

GOP presidential hopeful George W, Bush said, "Our American family has lost one of the premier religious leaders of our time. I was honored to have had the opportunity to meet Cardinal O'Connor and was profoundly inspired by his faith and his tireless work on behalf of the poor and defenseless."

Zwilling said the moment he would most remember about the cardinal was when he returned to St. Patrick's after his operation.

"The look on his face said how much he loved being there with the people. It really crystallized what I knew, how much he loved being a priest, being with the people. He was truly at home."

A man of strong convictions and deep faith, the archbishop held tightly to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

He marched against abortion and criticized Catholic politicians such as Geraldine Ferraro, who supported abortion rights.

'Kill me instead'

Although he drew fire from abortion rights advocates and others who disagreed with his positions, he defended his convictions. He also vigorously denounced violence.

He went on the Internet in 1995 to field questions about clinic bombings and said, "If anyone has an urge to kill anybody at an abortion clinic, he should kill me instead."

O'Connor, who opposed homosexuality, objected to gay Catholics marching in New York's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

But in his homily one Sunday when a Gay Pride Parade was to pass in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral, he warned the congregation, "Please do not believe for a moment that you would be defending the Church or advancing Church teachings by expressions of hatred."

O'Connor once told friend and biographer Nat Hentoff, "If I were simply saying Mass and going through the ordinary Catholic rituals and that's all I did, I shouldn't be here." The church, he said, should be part of everyday life.

Chaplain in Korean, Vietnam wars

As a child in his hometown of Philadelphia, he thought he would grow up to be a garbage man, doctor or journalist.

He went to public schools until his junior year in high school, when the Christian Brothers at West Catholic High School inspired him with dreams of being a missionary in China or Africa.

So he entered the seminary while still a teen-ager and was ordained a priest in 1945. He taught high school, worked with children with physical disabilities, and earned advanced degrees. When Cardinal John O'Hara sent out a call for chaplains to serve in the Korean War, O'Connor responded.

"I joined up before him," classmate and fellow chaplain Vincent Casey told The Associated Press in 1986, "but he quickly outranked me. He put together a leadership program that won him the Legion of Merit. In Vietnam, where he spent most of 1965 in the boondocks with the Third Marine Division, he won another Legion of Merit."

O'Connor later rose from chaplain at Annapolis to Chief of Navy Chaplains, a two-star admiral's berth in Washington. He retired from military service in 1979.

Although he said he looked forward to ordinary parish life, O'Connor rose quickly through the church hierarchy -- from bishop in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1983, to archbishop in New York in 1984, and then cardinal a year later.

Addressed labor, housing, health issues

O'Connor became as much a part of New York City as the Yankees and Mets and frequently lent a hand with city issues.

In the early 1990s, he met with labor leaders to end newspaper strikes, saying, "I've been worrying and praying a great deal about the potential loss of two newspapers in this city."

O'Connor celebrates Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City

He also used his pulpit at St. Patrick's Cathedral to address public issues from rent control to health care. He comforted families of TWA Flight 800 victims after the plane crashed off the coast of Long Island on July 17, 1996.

Although O'Connor was adamant in equating gay and lesbian lifestyles with biblical sin, former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo once said of him, "No place in the country are they working more aggressively to help AIDS patients than in the archdiocese. The cardinal is not getting the credit for this, and he should."

As Cardinal O'Connor followed his conscience, controversy and the media often followed him.

He traveled to war-torn Beirut in 1989, ignoring a U.S. State Department warning that Americans were being targeted as hostages. "I don't think I'd be worth much as a captive," he said.

In 1998 he boycotted baseball because the major leagues played ball on Good Friday. "I love the Yankees. I love the Mets," O'Connor wrote in his weekly column in the archdiocese newspaper Catholic-New York. "But I will not go to a game because major league teams played on Good Friday."

Brain cancer

When he turned 75, O'Connor submitted his resignation -- as required by church law. The pope reportedly wrote back, "Keep doing what you're doing. We'll call you."

In 1999, O'Connor had a growth surgically removed from his nose. Later in August, suffering from persistent nausea, he was admitted to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan, where he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Reflecting on his life from his hospital bed just before the diagnostic tests, the cardinal wrote, "I find myself in unutterable peace, a peace born of the grace of God and the goodness of God's people."

He underwent surgery in September, followed by five weeks of radiation therapy. He returned to the hospital in October and received treatment for dehydration and a blood clot in his leg.

Awarded Congressional Gold Medal

In March, Clinton signed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the ailing cardinal for his service to the nation.

"For more than 50 years, Cardinal O'Connor has served the Catholic Church and our nation with consistency and commitment," Clinton said in a statement.

"Whether it was the soldier on the battlefield or the patient dying of AIDS, Cardinal O'Connor has ministered with a gentle spirit and a loving heart," Clinton said. "Through it all, he has stood strong as an advocate for the poor, a champion for workers and an inspiration for millions."

In March, Zwilling said the archbishop was "feeling better ... but still weak and not able to resume a regular schedule."

During recent weeks Zwilling said that O'Connor's eyesight had been failing and he remained under a doctor's care. He also reported that O'Connor, while not bedridden, was spending a considerable amount of time in bed.

Cardinals lose their power to vote for a new pope when they turn 80, and John Paul II is expected to name a replacement for O'Connor in the coming weeks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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May 3, 2000
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Archdiocese of New York
  •  Cardinal O'Connor
State of New York
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