“I see my role now as giving voice to those who don’t have one.”

controversy. In 2010, he pulled the plug on a controversial “mass for dignity” for San Antonio’s LGBT community that had existed for about two decades amid complaints from other parishioners that it conflicted with the Catholic Church’s traditional teachings.

“The Mass … continues to send conflicting messages about the Church’s official teaching concerning the proper celebration of the Eucharist and living an active homosexual lifestyle,” Cantú wrote in a letter to the church pastor at the time, according to the San Antonio Expressnews. Still, he condemned prejudice toward the LGBT community.

Cantú said he sat down with LGBT Catholics for several hours after the cancellation to discuss their personal stories and struggles with finding acceptance in the church. He cancelled the mass, he said, to integrate the LGBT community into the local church.

“What I wanted for this community was not to be separate, but to be able to integrate into their parishes,” he said.

In July, Cantú was appointed as coadjutor bishop for San Jose, which means he’ll succeed Mcgrath, 73, though there is no timetable for Mcgrath’s retirement. In the meantime, Cantú, who is living in a spare room at St. Christopher Church in Willow Glen, will assist Mcgrath.

Like Mcgrath, he’s promised parishioners transparency and accountability on issues, including clergy sexual abuse. “Publicly publishing those names, I think that makes sense,” he said. “It helps to bring assurance and some healing to those who have been abused.”

Some are skeptical of the outcome.

“You always get hopeful when someone new comes in that something different is going to happen,” said Melanie Sakoda, a Bay Area leader and board member for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “But I think we’ve learned to be skeptical and wait and see what happens.”

Kevin O’brien, dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, said bishops are called to lead their communities in three ways: From ahead, guiding parishioners; from the middle, listening to parishioners; and from behind, allowing others to lead and helping those who feel left out by the church.

In Cantú’s case, listening will be most important, especially to victims of abuse, he said.