New Boston Bishop In Place

Sean Patrick O'Malley was installed Wednesday as the new Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, taking over an archdiocese wracked by accusations that priests abused hundreds of parishioners over the past six decades.

O'Malley, 59, is the sixth archbishop of Boston. He succeeds Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in December among mounting evidence that church leaders shuffled abusive priests from parish to parish to keep allegations against them secret and spare the church scandal.

The installation ceremony at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross was low-key in comparison to the usual pomp and circumstance, in keeping with O'Malley's humble demeanor as a Capuchin Franciscan friar and in deference to the victims of abuse.

During the ceremony, which drew thousands of clergy, dignitaries, politicians and spectators, O'Malley wore the simple brown robe of his order under the formal archbishop vestments.

He had a message for the victims of abuse.

"We beg forgiveness, and we assure them that the Catholic Church is working to create a safe environment for young people," he said. "I again ask forgiveness for all the harm done to young people by clergy."

"We are sinners and we say that we are sorry," he added.

His fellow priests hope that O'Malley — known as a "Mr. Fix-It" among U.S. bishops — can help heal the nation's fourth-largest diocese, home to more than 2 million Catholics.

"It must never be business as usual, but rather a firm commitment on the part of every diocese, parish and school to do all we can to avoid the mistakes of the past, and create safeguards for the future," he said.

"He's reaching out, to be personally involved, talking to the victims. I'm looking forward to the whole spiritual tone he can bring to the diocese," said the Rev. Alfred Winshman, a Jesuit from Boston. He met O'Malley while serving as a missionary on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, where O'Malley was bishop in the mid-1980s.

Some Boston-area Roman Catholics see O'Malley's arrival as a new beginning for the church since he has established a reputation for healing dioceses wounded by sexual abuse.

But others question whether a traditionalist who supports the conservative teachings of the church will be able to make the changes needed to repair the damage here.

Several dozen protesters were stationed outside the cathedral. One sign read "Different robe, same secrets," a reference to O'Malley's trademark brown robe.

Among the demonstrators was John Harris, 45, of Norwood, who says he was abused by the Rev. Paul Shanley.

"Inside there, nothing holy is going on," Harris said. "This is damage control. There will be no justice until we see people behind bars."

Shanley, at the center of abuse charges in two states, is free on bail in Massachusetts, where he has pleaded innocent to 10 counts of child rape.

Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, a former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, said he believes O'Malley has the temperament and determination to bring the archdiocese out of the crisis. But it won't be an easy task, just like the famous racehorse Seabiscuit.

"He's not going to win the first two or three races," he told CBS radio station WBZ-AM. "He's going to have to prove himself over time and I think in the final, cheering will be on his results, on his performance, and that means, of course, the healing of Boston and bringing justice to the victims."

O'Malley was tapped by the pope in 1992 to clean up the mess left in the Fall River diocese by serial pedophile priest James Porter. Last October, he was made bishop of Palm Beach, Fla., where his two immediate predecessors resigned after confessing to molesting children.

In Fall River, O'Malley was praised for reaching out to victims and instituting reforms that included mandatory background checks and abuse prevention training.

However, Frank Fitzpatrick, who was the victim of a pedophile priest in Fall River, said O'Malley instituted a loophole that only excluded "diagnosed" pedophiles back into the ministry, "which leaves the possibility for those who are child molesters but haven't been given the diagnosis of pedophile to be put back in."

Fitzpatrick told WBZ O'Malley should get rid of child-abusing priests.

"If they've abused children, they should no longer be allowed to have any duty in the ministry, or any duty at all in the diocese," he said.

Susan Gallagher, a member of the Boston-based Coalition of Catholics and Survivors, said she believes much of the praise for O'Malley is because of his humble demeanor and appearance.

"Sandals do not an effective abuse policy make," she said. "What we clearly need is concrete change — not a change of image, a change of reality."