Church in the World

Turmoil in New York archdiocese

CARDINAL EDWARD EGAN of New York has attempted to crack down on clergy in his archdiocese whom he accuses of making what he called "false and shameful" allegations in press reports that he is to reassign almost 10 per cent of his 470 active priests to different parishes.

His criticisms appeared in a terse one-sentence note sent to his priests that accompanied the agenda of a regular meeting of the priests' council last Thursday. The note, obtained by The Tablet, expressed the cardinal's desire "that priests serving in the archdiocese are properly informed about the false and shameful statements that have been made and reported in the media about personnel matters." Although the cardinal did not explain what the statements were, his note came a day after the New York Times and other media outlets published stories of the reshuffle. There is a history of friction between the cardinal and his priests. In this latest row, barely a month after Pope Benedict's successful visit to his archdiocese, clergy were informed of their moves in phone calls made by archdiocesan officials, rather than applying for or being asked to consider transfers. Priests spoke to the press on condition of anonymity criticising the cardinal's handling of the event. One said it had caused devastation and hurt among his fellow priests.

Of the 40 changes, several were said to involve the transfer of priests to new assignments part-way through fixed six-year terms, and in a number of instances outgoing priests reported learning of their departures in calls from their successors. Six more transfers are expected. Spring is traditionally the peak period for reassignments and retirements of clergy in American dioceses.

According to several priests, members of the archdiocese's six-member Priest Personnel Board, which makes recommendations on clerical transfers in the 2.5 million-member archdiocese, were shocked and upset at its lack of involvement in the reshuffle. The board last week sent Cardinal Egan a letter requesting a meeting. As The Tablet went to press they had not received a reply.

In response to the New York Times article the archdiocese immediately issued a statement defending the cardinal's actions. In it they said that three-quarters of the 40 appointments had been "based on the recommendations" of the board, and the other quarter had been "made directly by" Cardinal Egan "in response to particular pastoral needs". "It has always been the prerogative of the archbishops of New York to make priestly assignments apart from the personnel board," the statement added, noting that the policy followed had been adopted by the archdiocese's priests' council in 2006.

In addition, the following day - on Thursday 22 May - the priests' council issued a statement following a routine meeting attended by the cardinal, affirming "our archbishop's authority to assign priests" and declaring its support for the cardinal "as he faces unfair and anonymous attacks in the media".

 At the meeting the cardinal spoke at length of his disappointment at the story's appearance in the press. He said he wanted letters of apology from the members of the personnel board whom he suspected of having talked to the press, but he dropped this demand.