Bishop Paul S. Coakley of Salina, Kansas will become the new Archbishop of Oklahoma City, the Vatican announced Thursday.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed the new archbishop on Dec. 16, after
accepting Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran's retirement at the age of 76.
Bishop Coakley, 55, has lived in the Midwest for much of his life,
although he briefly considered a vocation to traditional Benedictine
monasticism in France before becoming a priest for the Diocese of
Wichita in 1983.
After 21 years as a diocesan priest, he received his
episcopal consecration and became the Bishop of Salina in 2004.
As head of the Diocese of Salina, Bishop Coakley has strongly
criticized Catholic politicians who support the legality of abortion
–which he has publicly compared to genocide– as well as voters who
support such candidates without a “proportionately grave moral reason”
for doing so.
In November 2010, Bishop Coakley addressed a significant pastoral
letter to the lay faithful, clergy, and consecrated men and women of his
diocese, entitled “Put Out into the Deep: Living Our Call to Holiness.”
In that letter, he offered a vision for helping the diocese meet its
practical needs through effective stewardship, without losing sight of
the Church's supernatural mission of salvation.
It will fall to Bishop Coakley's successor in Salina to implement
these plans, however, as he takes on a larger commitment as the
Metropolitan Archbishop of Oklahoma City.
Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran will step down as head of the
archdiocese after 18 years in his current position, and 32 total years
as a bishop.
The retiring archbishop received criticism for a case in which he
allowed a priest to remain in ministry after he was accused of sexually
abusing boys in the 1990s.
The priest was arrested in 1999 after
committing further abuse.
However, many in the archdiocese will remember the retiring bishop
for what his official biography described as “his positive outlook, his
devotion to the Eucharist and his prayerful life,” all of which were
said to have “set the tone and example for the flock” in Oklahoma City.
SIC: CNA/INT'L