Richard Henning was formally welcomed into the Archdiocese of Boston because the tenth bishop and seventh archbishop on the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.
“I don’t have the words to express all of the emotions I feel this day, but I hope and pray that I will find the wisdom and the strength to give myself away completely to this beautiful church and to serve you with all my strength for the years to come,” Henning addressed a large crowd of clergy and congregation within the cathedral Thursday.
Pope Francis introduced the appointment of Henning, 59, former Bishop of the Diocese of Windfall, on Aug. 5. Henning takes over for Cardinal Sean O’Malley, 80, the long-time head of the Catholic church in Boston.
Over 1,400 gathered within the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Thursday, together with the “Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, five additional cardinals, five archbishops, more than 50 bishops, nearly 500 priests, religious, deacons, seminarians, and the laity,” the archdiocese mentioned. Interfaith group leaders, authorities officers together with Mayor Michelle Wu, Henning’s dad and mom and others additionally joined.
Henning started the ceremony with the normal knock on the door of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, met with a hug by Cardinal O’Malley.
O’Malley was appointed archbishop in Boston in 2003 and made a cardinal by by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, serving over 20 years as the pinnacle of the Archdiocese of Boston earlier than reaching the customary age of retirement this 12 months. He took over within the midst of Boston’s clergy intercourse abuse scandal and served as a member of the Council of Cardinals and head of the Pontifical Fee for the Safety of Minors.
“(O’Malley) has done remarkable things here and in a lot of ways, I think it’s not so much the skills as the authenticity of the man that guided his flock through really difficult days and helped them to find healing in the Lord,” Henning mentioned on Catholic TV. “I stand in awe of that legacy. I have no illusions that I will replace him. I will do my best to follow him.”
Henning declined to checklist priorities, saying his first intuition is “to visit, to listen, to see,” however mentioned some broader key areas are the monks, Catholic training and formation of the religion.
Henning additionally spoke to the lasting affect of the intercourse abuse scandal, saying defending youngsters is a “central commitment that I’ve made in my life” and telling survivors “they matter to us.”
“Many victims feel as though the retirement of Cardinal O’Malley and installation of Archbishop Henning will create a new layer of irresponsiveness,” mentioned Mitchell Garabedian, an legal professional for folks sexually abused by members of the Archdiocese of Boston. “Archbishop Henning may say the right things about clergy sexual abuse but will not put into place any meaningful programs to protect children from being sexually abused or to help victims try to heal.”
The brand new archbishop additionally touched on the upcoming election, encouraging folks to hope, search for knowledge and vote.
Earlier than ending the ceremony passing out free Halloween sweet, Henning additionally famous one frequent query because the announcement of his appointment is his baseball allegiances.
“I will count on your prayers,” Henning informed the congregation gathered. “I will count on our partnership with the Lord in His work of healing and reconciliation. I guess the best thing I could say to you is that as of this day, I am yours, and you are mine. I’m going to hold off on that question about the Red Sox though.”
