One old friend of Archbishop Timothy Dolan put it this way recently: "He has an important challenge. He must try to reach out to the diverse communities that make up the city and help forge harmony between Catholics and non-Catholics."
When he takes charge of New York's Catholic Church today, Dolan will be following in the footsteps of not only Edward Cardinal Egan but also the late John Cardinal O'Connor, who was New York's archbishop for 16 tumultuous years.
That same friend, who was also a close friend of Cardinal O'Connor, sees similarities between the two men: "a whimsical sense of humor, deep compassion and a fierce devotion to conservative church principles."
Since the death of O'Connor in 2000, the New York archdiocese has been ruled by a man who, like his predecessor, had a strong conservative ideology. But Cardinal Egan was hardly like O'Connor in personality.
O'Connor liked to kid around with priests, reporters, parishioners and children alike. Egan was austere in appearance and personality. During his tenure, he concentrated on putting the church's financial house in order.
Egan was not a frequent, visible presence in non-Catholic communities. O'Connor was the voice of the church, heard so clearly in New York life in the 1980s and 90s when he spoke out on issues ranging from abortion to the care of the homeless. But that voice of the church has been muffled, if it is heard at all. Egan is no O'Connor. Dolan might be.
New York faces tremendous problems. The economy has been shaken by the national malaise. The number of jobless rises every week. As the spiritual leader of about 2.5 million Catholics, Dolan will be in a position to deal with leaders in other areas of New York life.
Food, clothing and shelter are the basic needs of all people. Advocates for those New Yorkers hurting in those areas will be pressing Dolan to use his bully pulpit for them. The church has long expected its pastors to deal with basic human needs. Archbishop Dolan, if he hits the ground running, may soon turn his attention to homelessness, hunger, poverty and the health needs of adults and children.
Cardinal O'Connor's father was a labor leader and the cardinal was deeply sensitive to labor issues. He often tried to mediate disputes, including one between union and management right here at NBC.
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With growing economic problems, homelessness will probably be one of Dolan's major concerns. He may reach out, too, to labor union members and their leaders, as he tries to help people cope with difficult problems.
There are fundamental issues that never go away, including racism and intolerance. Hate crimes still afflict us.
The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church in New York can reach out to Protestants, Jews, Muslims and atheists. He can communicate with Latinos, African-Americans and dozens of other ethnic and religious groups. Delegates from every country in the world meet here at the United Nations, just a few blocks east of the archbishop's residence on Madison Avenue. The new archbishop may reach out to them, too, in pursuit of his mission.
O'Connor used to invite people to his residence nearly every day for breakfast. Some were world leaders. Many were business people, politicians, academics, writers and others from all different walks of life. At these breakfasts, O'Connor he would listen more than talk. He wanted to keep in touch with what was going on in other parts of society. He had an open mind and was intensely curious about the issues most on the minds of his guests.
Some problems can only be solved in the street. But a man with a bully pulpit can help reduce tensions and pave the way for solutions. The new Catholic leader can be a voice for the voiceless.
He can be a new leader for the whole community of New York. And we are a community in need of good leadership and good will.
