Despite a near-deafening buzz from religious bloggers and news organizations that the Vatican would name a replacement to succeed Cardinal Edward Egan as archbishop of New York Tuesday, no such announcement was made.Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, 59, is the heir apparent.
Numerous media outlets in the United States, including The New York Times and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, have reported Dolan was a top candidate.
In Rome, Italian journalist Paolo Rodari, who writes for the daily newspaper Il Reformista, a respected publication covering the Vatican, reported in the last few days Dolan was the choice.
However, as speculation has been rampant for several weeks, any announcement could be delayed, a source familiar with the Archdiocese of New York told the Poughkeepsie Journal.
By all local accounts, Dolan is a well-respected and charming man.
Mary Dunne, the medical director at Marist College, met Dolan during a trip to Rome.
Dunne and her father both taught at Saint Louis University in Missouri, and Dolan helped arrange for Dunne and her family to get tickets to a papal Mass, she said.
"He's a man of enormous charisma, personal warmth and good humor, so I think he would be appealing to all the parishioners in the Archdiocese," she said.
Patricia Murphy, a nurse practitioner at Marist College, said she and her late husband, Michael Murphy, sat with Dolan at a table of 10 at a Catholic University Cardinal's dinner in January 2005.
"He's a charming person," she said. "He put everyone at the table at ease."He was extremely cognizant of international and political affairs," she added. "We had an interesting discussion at the table."
Dolan, a Missouri native, has run the Milwaukee archdiocese since 2002. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 19, 1976.
Cardinal Egan submitted his resignation to the pope in 2007 - a requirement for all archbishops when they turn 75.
But the pope asked him to continue as archbishop.
Egan, 76, was named to the post May 11, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.
The Archdiocese of New York covers part of the Hudson Valley.
Speculation rose to a crescendo that the announcement would be Tuesday because, according to Monsignor Desmond O'Connor of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in LaGrange, American announcements are usually made in Rome on Tuesdays.
"There have been some surprises in the past," O'Connor said. "When they're ready to make the announcement, they'll make the announcement."
Egan was in LaGrange recently to dedicate the new Blessed Kateri church, an event that drew 1,000 parishioners.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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(Source: PJC)