Monday, February 23, 2009

Dolan to NY - A Lutheran Reaction

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan has been appointed Archbishop of the New York Archdiocese. It's a primo-promotion for a rising star in the RC church.

He's served here for about 6 years in the Milwaukee area, following after an Archbishop involved in the spate of sex scandals. So he's had a bit of a mess to clean up, and he's done a good job with that.

He's also universally respected as a decent and personable man, who is approachable and friendly, media-savvy, quick-witted and light-hearted.

But I've often commented on just how Lutheran he sounds. Of course, he's a Roman Catholic. I'm sure we'd have some serious disagreements. But I must say that in the short quips and commercials I've heard him speak, he delivers a message that centers on faith not works, on God's love not our good deeds, and he is not afraid to talk about Jesus Christ.

So Benedict, who's been called the "First Lutheran Pope", has appointed to the top spot in American Catholicism someone who sounds pretty Lutheran for a Roman Catholic. And to me, that's a good thing for New York, and for the RCs in the USA.

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