O'Malley said he hope elevation to cardinal means "new horizons"
Mar 24, 2006
Archbishop Sean O'Malley said Tuesday that he hoped his elevation to cardinal this week would signal a new start in the troubled archdiocese.
(Boston Globe, March 21, 2006) BOSTON -- Speaking to the Boston media in Rome, O'Malley acknowledged that following the clergy sex abuse crisis and widespread church closings, some don't support his elevation to cardinal.
"I hope that this will be a sign that the life of the church must go on and that there's new horizons for us," O'Malley said.
O'Malley, 61, will be elevated to a cardinal on Friday by Pope Benedict XVI. He was appointed archbishop of Boston three years ago to help resolve the clergy sex abuse crisis. He later began a round of church closings which he said were necessary because of the church's dire finances.
O'Malley said he'll inevitably change after he becomes a cardinal. But he said he would remain true to his Capuchin Franciscan order, which is committed to a humble life serving the poor.
Dressed in the order's robe and sandals, O'Malley joked when asked about wearing the cardinal's ornate vestments.
"Well, I said that I could always wear it if I was called to be on a hunting expedition with the vice president," he said, laughing. "It's very red."
O'Malley said he hope elevation to cardinal means "new horizons"