While the move is likely to be warmly welcomed by the 246,000 strong Catholic community in Indianapolis archdiocese, it will certainly sadden many of the almost one million men and women religious, not only in the USA but also elsewhere in the world, sources in religious orders told Vatican Insider earlier this week.
Tobin flew to Indianapolis on Monday 15 October. Rumors predicting this change began circulating soon after the publication in April 2012 of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s highly critical report of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States. At the time, it was widely known that Tobin was not happy with that report and, it seems, had not been consulted on it.
Even taking that into account, his reassignment is nevertheless surprising given that just over two years ago – on 2 August 2010 - Pope Benedict had personally chosen Tobin to be Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. He had come to know and appreciate Tobin while he was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the American was head of the Redemptorist Order (1997-2009), and hand-picked him for that post.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Tobin did under-graduate and post-graduate studies in the USA, before working in parish ministry in Detroit and Chicago for 12 years and serving another 6 years as Episcopal-vicar for the archdiocese of Detroit.
He came to Rome in 1991 following his election as Consultor-General of the Redemptorist order, and in 1997 was chosen to head that order, a post he held for the next 12 years.
While in Rome, Tobin served as vice-president of the Union of Superior’s General and was appointed a member of the council for relations between that body and the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life – to which he was later named as its second in command.
In that Vatican congregation Tobin worked well and closely with the Brazilian Cardinal Jao Braz de Aziz in overseeing the life and work of almost one million consecrated men and women worldwide, and brought the weight of his broad experience as a pastor and head of a religious order to that important task.
He will now take all that rich experience to his new role as archbishop in Indianapolis, and is also expected to play a significant role in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the USA.