Cardinal O'Connor's successor humbled by appointment

Egan told reporters he accepts the responsibility of archbishop-elect with 'great joy'

May 11, 2000
Web posted at: 1:15 p.m. EDT (1715 GMT)

In this story: Congregation prays for Egan Praise from Jewish leaders Known for commitment to education RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

NEW YORK -- Bishop Edward Egan, the Vatican's pick for the late Cardinal John O'Connor's successor, reacted on Thursday with humility to his appointment as archbishop-elect of the New York Archdiocese.

"To be able to serve is quite humbling," Egan said at a news conference in New York. "The responsibility has been accepted with great joy."

Egan, 68, comes to the post after heading the Bridgeport, Connecticut, diocese since 1988, according to the Vatican. He holds degrees in philosophy and sacred theology and a doctorate in canon law.

VIDEO A profile of Bishop Egan, from CNN's Maria Hinojosa. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K     AUDIO Egan describes his initial reaction to the new position 590K/41 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Egan remembers his predecessor, Cardinal John O'Connor 884K/41 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ALSO O'Connor's successor a Vatican veteran, education devotee     MESSAGE BOARD Remembering Cardinal O'Connor

O'Connor died May 3 at the age of 80 after a long battle with brain cancer. He was entombed Monday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York after a large service attended by many dignitaries including President Clinton and former President George Bush.

Egan was quick to praise O'Connor. Egan said his predecessor had suffered greatly and had provided a great example after he underwent brain surgery in August 1999.

He said O'Connor had given "inspiration to countless numbers of people," and expressed gratitude for "his leadership and courage."

Egan tried to inject some humor into the news conference, his first since the Vatican made the announcement earlier Thursday.

"My first reaction was, 'Edward: Get down on your knees and beg the Lord to give you a hand -- and don't get up too quickly,'" Egan said.

Congregation prays for Egan

At St. Patrick's Cathedral -- the landmark seat of Egan's new archdiocese -- prayers were offered for him at two early Masses. Parishioners said they would welcome the archbishop-elect's leadership, but noted O'Connor is greatly missed.

"He looks like a good man," said Elssy Mino, a saleswoman from the borough of Queens. "Nobody's going to replace O'Connor, but I think Egan will be OK. He seems very sweet and nice."

Praise from Jewish leaders

Egan has been praised by Jewish leaders for his work against anti-Semitism.

"Jews are not collectively responsible for the death of Jesus," the Catholic News Service quoted Egan as saying at a 1995 conference on Catholic-Jewish relations. "Our sins made Christ suffer on the cross. The religious life of Jesus was that of obedience to Jewish law."

Regarding his views on abortion-related issues, Egan once headed a committee at a national conference of Catholic bishops which repeatedly made statements against genetic research using embryonic cells from fetuses.

Egan, who was born in Oak Park, Illinois, just outside Chicago, is head of a diocese with 367,000 Catholics in 88 Connecticut parishes. He has regionalized the Catholic school system and established the diocese's Inner City Foundation for the needy.

Egan was ordained in Rome in 1957, and he spent 22 years there as a professor of canon law at the Gregorian University and as a judge in the Sacred Roman Rota, a church tribunal. He also served as secretary to His Eminence, John Cardinal Cody, in Chicago, and later as the co-chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

In 1985, O'Connor appointed Egan auxiliary bishop and vicar for education for the Archdiocese of New York after receiving a personal request from Pope John Paul II.

Known for commitment to Catholic education

Nora Murphy, a spokeswoman for schools of the New York archdiocese, said she was impressed by Egan's commitment to Catholic education while he was vicar for education from 1985 to 1988.

"He made that quite clear to us -- that he wanted strong Catholic schools, quality schools, that we were here to serve them and to help them grow," Murphy said.

His work ended when the pope appointed him to head the Connecticut diocese, which includes the city of Bridgeport as well as the affluent suburbs of Greenwich, New Canaan and Darien.

"What we know about Bishop Egan is that he is very conservative and takes a very legalistic approach," said Linda Pieczynski, a spokeswoman for Call to Action, a Chicago-based Catholic church reform group. "My understanding is that he is very personable, but also very rigid in his approach to issues."

Rome Bureau Chief Gayle Young and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

O'Connor entombed at St. Patrick's Cathedral
May 8, 2000
Crowds throng as Masses celebrate life of Cardinal O'Connor
May 7, 2000
Cardinal John O'Connor dies
May 4, 2000

Archdiocese of Chicago
New York Archdiocese
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
Cardinal O'Connor IN MEMORIAM 1920-2000

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