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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > People and Politics > Scarlet letter for Cardinal Dolan as he sets out to Rome -- Will Cardinal O’Malley Kennedy links come back to haunt?

People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Scarlet letter for Cardinal Dolan as he sets out to Rome -- Will Cardinal O’Malley Kennedy links come back to haunt?

Posted on Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 07:39 AM

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New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan

If timing is everything in life then Cardinal Timothy Dolan just missed a beat.

The front page story in The New York Times on Thursday revealing that he has been questioned about cases of child abuse and his reaction to them in his old diocese of Milwaukee could not have come at a worst time.

Dolan is now bound for Rome and the conclave with a scarlet letter over his scarlet vestments and a deep sense that he has blown whatever opportunity there was to be pope.

The child sex scandal continues to intrude on the papacy and the cardinals when they assemble in Rome and will surely be seeking a figure who can move past the torrent of charges.

Benedict, now seen as old and feeble, was unable to deal with it on his watch. The sure sense is that the new pope will need to make immediate moves to deal with it once and for all. Above all he needs credibility on the subject.

Because of what just transpired Dolan is bound to be seen as damaged goods, so much so that one has to question how the story came out.

Was it one of Dolan’s enemies who decided to leak it?

Little wonder that Dolan has now drifted out to 66/1 to be pope in the latest Paddy Power. odds from Dublin after being much shorter in recent weeks.

In contrast, Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has come into 25/1 odds making him one of the top ten contenders for pope according to the bookmakers.

O’Malley is a pair of clean hands on the child abuse scandal widely seen as someone who did his best to fairly and decently clean up the rotten Archdiocese of Boston after Cardinal Law’s numerous cover-ups. He also helped deal with the Irish mess and washed the feet of those abused in a memorable scene with Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.

Since John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter, the best journalist covering the conclave, wrote that O’Malley’s name is being mentioned more and more there has been a boomlet of interest in the shy Boston prelate.

However, no doubt there are enemies eager to bring him down too.

He received strong criticism after presiding at the funeral mass for Ted Kennedy because of Kennedy’s stance on abortion rights and that could well be a source of the attacks.

But as Allen points out, if the church is looking for “Mani Pulite” or clean hands as the Italians say, they could well take a close at O’Malley.

That would truly be a revolutionary papacy.

See more: Irish Catholic Church , Irish Catholic Priest , Vatican

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merefalow | Feb 24, 2013, 11:40 AM EST

blame the media.this is the deadly danger to freedom of information and freedom of speech.Wwhere ever the media does its job the repressive forces of religion,government,royalty,vested intrests come into play,ie,levenson inquisition in uk.the biggest threat to press freedom in 400 years,(quote)but the apathy to this threat unbelievable(the press should mount a massive campaighn to elert people and stir public apathy while they still can.

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handsome68 | Feb 23, 2013, 05:10 PM EST

I have seen Cardinal Dolan and I know Jesus Christ. Cardinal Dolan is no Jesus Christ.

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eiriamach | Feb 23, 2013, 03:25 PM EST

The editors at "Commonweal" wrote, "It is possible to see Benedict’s resignation as another gesture of discouragement. Certainly in his final remarks to the priests of Rome only days after announcing his resignation, Benedict struck a note of anguish over what he characterized as the 'calamities' and 'miseries' that followed the [Second Vatican] council. He blamed the media and secular politics for that disarray. But much of the responsibility lies with the Vatican, for guarding its own power and privileges too jealously. If we are not to despair of the worthy project pursued by the bishops at Vatican II, the whole church, and not just Peter’s successor, must now be allowed to take responsibility for it." With more voices like this raised, a reform pope may become a real possibility. Will the voting cardinals recall that the views of American bishops played a major role in shaping the changes wrought during Vatican II Council, changes abandoned, much to the misfortune of the Church, by recent popes?

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McNamara31 | Feb 23, 2013, 09:28 AM EST

Many mention Dolan's supposed popularity, however a Newsday poll (Feb. 11th 2013) showed 19% of Catholics supported Dolan for Pope and a "overwhelming" 81% voted NO.

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