It's official: Pope Francis on Monday accepted the resignation of Cardinal Seán O’Malley as archbishop of Boston and named the current bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Henning, to replace him as leader of one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the United States.
The Vatican announcement didn’t mention O’Malley’s other main role as Francis’ main adviser on fighting clergy sexual abuse as head of the pope’s Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, suggesting he would remain in that capacity until a new commission leader is named.
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Henning was introduced at a press conference Monday morning in Braintree.
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"This morning, the Holy Father announced that he has named the Most Reverend Richard G. Henning, S.T.D. as the tenth bishop and seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston," the Archdiocese of Boston said in its announcement Monday morning.
Henning, 59, will be installed as Archbishop of Boston on Oct. 31, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
"I am grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis for his confidence in me and for his conferral of this new mission as Archbishop of Boston. I receive this appointment relying upon divine Providence, aware that this is the Lord’s Church and that I am no more than an unworthy servant," Henning said in a statement released Monday. "I would also like to express my gratitude to His Eminence Cardinal Sean O’Malley who has served the Church of Boston for many faithful and joyful years. Greetings to the clergy and faithful of Boston. I ask you prayers that I may cling to the Lord’s Holy Cross, honor His mother, imitate His saints, and love you as His people and His ministers.”
O’Malley, who is now 80-years-old, has been archbishop of Boston since 2003.
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"On behalf of the entire Archdiocese of Boston, including our priests, religious, deacons, and laity we welcome Archbishop-elect Richard Henning," O'Malley said in a statement Monday. "We extend our deep gratitude to the Holy Father for this appointment demonstrating his ongoing pastoral care for the people of the Archdiocese. I look forward to our people and the wider community getting to know our new Archbishop-elect in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. He ministers with the heart of a pastor with a sincere commitment to serving Christ and the Church.”
O'Malley commented at the press conference about how Henning's ability to speak Spanish will help him engage directly with the large Hispanic population in Greater Boston.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Monday on O'Malley's retirement and Henning's appointment.
“I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to Cardinal O’Malley on his successful two decades of leadership as the Archbishop of Boston," she said. "I greatly admire his deep faith and his empathy and compassion for all. He will be remembered for his lifesaving support for families experiencing homelessness, his advocacy for more affordable housing, his support for victims of human trafficking and his global leadership in the fight against climate change. I was humbled and privileged to seek and receive his advice many times during my time as Attorney General and Governor. We wish Cardinal O’Malley the very best in his new chapter and know that he will continue to be a guide and an inspiration for us all. I congratulate Bishop Henning on his appointment and look forward to working with him."
Prior to his more than two decades serving in Boston, O’Malley served 10 years as the bishop of the Fall River Diocese.
O’Malley is known for calling for accountability following the 2019 church sex abuse scandal, during which a former cardinal with Boston's archdiocese was found guilty of sex abuse by the Vatican.
"My 20 years in Boston have been challenging, wonderful years in many respects," O'Malley said Monday. "I arrived at a time of great crisis and great pain because of the terrible scourge of sexual abuse. Despite all of the challenges we have, I am filled with hope. I see the faith of our people, I see people who come forward to be a part of the mission of the church and have stayed with the church through very, very difficult times. The challenges for the church are very, very great, but the opportunities are very great."
But David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, criticized O’Malley for “a masterful job with his public relations but a terribly disappointing job with the church’s on-going abuse and cover up scandal.”
“He’s carefully crafted the impression of a ’reformer, while refusing to take some of the most simple and proven steps toward warning parents, parishioners and the public about potentially threatening clerics,” Clohessy said in a statement.
Henning likely will bring more of the same, said Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney who has been representing abuse victims for decades.
“Bishop Henning does not have track record of protecting children through either strongly speaking out against clergy sexual abuse or supporting substantive change,” he said in a statement calling Henning “a company man.”
“Victims believe Bishop Henning will basically ignore the ugly problem of clergy sexual abuse and hope it just goes away,” he said.
Henning is a bit of a surprise pick for some.
He’s a New York native who’s only been a bishop since 2018, and has only served as the bishop of Providence for one year.
Pope Francis first appointed him co-adjutor bishop of Providence back in 2022.
He succeeded Thomas Tobin as the bishop one year later, and now he’s poised to become just the seventh Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.
Some Providence parishioners were surprised by the news.
“It's very surprising, you know, but the Vatican, you know, has its ways," one person said.
“It only happens so often. I mean, once the archbishop is set in stone, he'll stay in there for a good time being," another said. "And so every time there's a change, it's a pretty big deal. So it's a pretty big deal for the Catholic Church in New England."
At Monday morning's press conference, Henning said he was also surprised to received Pope Francis' call.
"Maybe some of you were surprised by this appointment as I was," he said. "I am not worthy of this call. I was deeply shocked and surprised by this call. I think it took me about three minutes to respond. I had to go sit down first."
Henning said his first thought was for the people of Rhode Island, who have been so good to him over the past year.
"The hardest part is leaving Rhode Island," he said. "But if the Holy Father asks, my answer is always going to be yes. I have no regrets in saying that yes, even as I feel a certain sadness in leaving behind people who have been so kind to me."
Henning said he sees a great opportunity for the Catholic Church in Boston.
"I know that the church has faced so many large crises. It's not new to us to have upheavals and difficulties. We come to them with that broader perspective that ultimately, God is in charge," he said. "I think right now, I think the wider culture in which we live has also in some sense lost its way. People are searching, they don’t know even what to look for. I think the church has something to offer the wider culture. There’s a wisdom and a passion and a commitment to community there that I hope can be meaningful to all the people of the city, not just of the Catholic faith."
If appointed, Henning would be responsible for the fourth largest Archdiocese in the U.S., consisting of 250 parishes, 115 Catholic schools, 900 priests and almost 2 million parishioners. It had operating expenses of more than $350 million in fiscal 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
