Archbishop Chaput to lead Philadelphia Archdiocese
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Charles Chaput to succeed Cardinal Justin Rigali
as Archbishop of Philadelphia on Tuesday. Until the new appointment, Archbishop Chaput
had been the head of the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado. The 66 year-old Archbishop
Chaput is part Native American and the first Native American U.S. archbishop. He entered
the Capuchin Order of Friars Minor in 1965 and made his perpetual vows in 1968, receiving
ordination to the priesthood in 1970. After a tenure as minister of the Capuchin province
of Mid-America, he was elected bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota - a position in
which he served for nearly a decade, before being called to Denver in 1997.
A
best-selling author and outspoken defender of the Church’s place in public life, the
newly-appointed Archbishop Chaput is also deeply concerned with the Church’s pastoral
mission. “The Church has done a very poor job of passing on the authentic Apostolic
faith to its people,” he says. “We need to get better,” at forming the lay faithful
especially, “we need to get better very soon.” Archbishop Chaput comes to Philadelphia
during a time of difficulty for the Archdiocese, which is struggling to deal with
revelations of clerical sexual abuse that began to emerge in February of this year.
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