Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix is being mentioned as a possible replacement for Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, who will retire next year when he turns 75. Apparently in hopes of influencing the choice of a successor, Mahony, who has served as archbishop for 25 years, has asked Pope Benedict XVI to appoint a co-adjutor, or successor, bishop.
According to several Catholic sources, the selection process has begun.
A list of three bishops, compiled by the papal nuncio, or ambassador, to the United States, will be submitted to the Vatican, and the choice likely will be made from that list.
Mahony may have a say on whose names are on the list.
A selection, according to Catholic bloggers, is likely within weeks, but no one can say for sure.
The process is highly secretive, and any speculation is hypothetical.
The selection is thought to be one of the pope's most important, said Rocco Palmo of the influential blog site Whispers in the Loggia.
Los Angeles is the largest archdiocese in the United States, with an estimated 5 million Catholics in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. It has 288 parishes in 120 cities, 225 elementary schools and 53 high schools.
The archdiocese has been plagued by the sexual-abuse scandal at levels rivaled by few other locations.
In 2007, the archdiocese reached a $660 million settlement of more than 500 abuse cases, the largest such payout by a Catholic diocese worldwide.
Several names have come up as possible successors to Mahony, including his six auxiliary bishops.
Speculation also has focused on a handful of Hispanic bishops, considering that 70 percent of the archdiocese's population is Hispanic.
Named so far are Bishops Jaime Soto of Sacramento; Richard Garcia of Monterey, Calif.; and Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas; as well as Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio and his auxiliary, Oscar Cantu.
Blogger Michael Barber, a theology professor at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego, was the first to speculate about Olmsted.
Barber said the Phoenix bishop fits all the criteria that the pope seems to have established with previous appointments. Those are:
• Experience in priestly formation. Olmsted led a seminary in Ohio and worked at one in Rome.
• A Roman background. Olmsted frequently has touted his experience working for the secretary of state at the Vatican and as assistant spiritual director at the Pontifical North American College, the Roman seminary.
• An academic background. Olmsted has a doctorate in canon law besides his experience at the two seminaries.
He also has experience in what Barber calls large dioceses, although Phoenix is not one of the top 20 dioceses in terms of Catholic population.
Barber called his speculation "an educated guess."
Phoenix Diocese spokesman Jim Dwyer said neither he nor the bishop "is ever going to speculate on what the Vatican might do regarding naming a successor to any bishop or archbishop." Likewise, Los Angeles Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg has declined to speculate.
Bob Kaiser, a longtime church watcher, journalist and author, said he thinks Olmsted would not fit in Los Angeles.
"The archbishop of Los Angeles needs to be a communicator," said Kaiser, who wrote a novel titled "Cardinal Mahony." "Olmsted doesn't even communicate with his priests. He is extremely shy."
John Jacubczyk, a Phoenix attorney who has been active in anti-abortion issues, said he has heard the speculation and wants to discourage it.
"I want him to stay here," he said. "There is a lot still to do. I would prefer he remain in Phoenix to continue his good work and good example."
John Garcia of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's group, called Olmsted "a great pastoral leader who is destined for greater responsibility." He added, "I would hate to see him go."
Olmsted has been bishop of Phoenix since 2003.
At the time of his appointment to replace Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, his name had not popped up on any speculative lists.
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