Around New England

Cardinal Sean O’Malley Plans To Stick Around Archdiocese of Boston After He Retires

August 6, 2024

Cardinal Sean O’Malley said he plans to spend time in the Archdiocese of Boston after he leaves as archbishop this fall.

O’Malley, 80, is retiring. His replacement, Bishop Richard Henning, bishop of Providence, is scheduled to be installed as the new archbishop of Boston on Thursday, October 31.

Henning and O’Malley appeared at a joint press conference Monday, August 5 at the archdiocese’s Pastoral Center in Braintree.

A reporter asked O’Malley about his plans.

“As far as my next steps, I will probably divide my time between Boston and Washington. The Capuchin monastery there. I worked 20 years in Washington with immigrants, and I’ll probably be involved in that once again,” O’Malley said.

“But Holy Father’s asked me to continue for the time being as President of the Commission for Safeguarding. So I don’t think I’ll be bored. I’m not going to take up golf,” O’Malley said, to laughter.

“But I will try and stay out of the new archbishop’s way, but to be available to him if he needs me for anything,” he added.

(O’Malley’s comments about his future plans come at 33:53 of the video of the press conference published by the Archdiocese of Boston.)

O’Malley, a member of the Capuchin Franciscan religious order, is the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Bishops ordinarily must give up their Vatican posts when they turn 80, O’Malley’s 80th birthday was June 29, 2024.

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