Priest named administrator for Columbus Catholic Diocese
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus has named a new leader to serve until the Vatican announces who the next bishop will be.
On Thursday, the diocese announced that Monsignor Stephan J. Moloney, the vicar general of the diocese under three bishops, was selected by a panel of diocesan priests as the diocesan administrator.
Moloney, 65, who also pastors St. Andrew Parish in Upper Arlington, has been a priest for nearly 40 years and takes the helm of the diocese after former Columbus Bishop Robert Brennan was installed in the Diocese of Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Brennan was called to serve in Brooklyn after serving approximately two and a half years as Columbus' 12th bishop.
Moloney – elected by a vote of the diocesan College of Consultors, a group of 10 priests that typically advises the bishop – will oversee the functions and operation of the diocese until the next bishop of Columbus is named by Pope Francis and installed, according to a release from the diocese. Moloney is a member of the College of Consultors.
It is not clear when the next bishop will be named.
“I am very humbled by the confidence placed in me today,” Moloney said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for all the support that has been expressed to me so far. Together, all of us will work to assure the smooth and orderly operation of the Diocese of Columbus, turning to the Holy Spirit for constant guidance as we await the appointment and installation of the next shepherd of our beloved diocese.”
Moloney is from Kenton, Ohio, and attended the Pontifical College Josephinum on Columbus' Northwest Side, where he earned a bachelor's degree before going on to Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland to earn his master's degree and getting a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Angelicum University in Rome.
He was ordained by the late Bishop Edward J. Hermann, ninth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, in June 1982.
He previously served as the diocesan chancellor; pastor of Immaculate Conception Church on Columbus' North Side; associate pastor of St. Peter Church on Columbus' Northwest Side; and vice chancellor of the diocese. He also served on many diocesan committees, councils and boards.
From 1997 to 2020, Moloney took reports of abuse by alleged victims of priest sexual abuse.
He also led a volunteer review board that determined whether or not priest abuse allegations were credible. He officially became the victims' assistance coordinator in 2002, when the conference of bishops started requiring the archdioceses and dioceses to create the position.
In July 2020, the diocese hired a licensed clinical counselor to take the reports, replacing Moloney as the victims' assistance coordinator.
The change come after The Dispatch reported in March 2019 that Moloney was one of three diocesan victims' assistance coordinators in the country who were also priests. Victim advocates and survivors have said such an arrangement makes it harder for victims to come forward to report abuse, and can even retraumatize them due to reporting abuse to someone in the same uniform as their abuser.
Brennan gave his last Masses in Columbus on Nov. 21, and his departure is the first time in recent history that the diocese has appointed an administrator instead of having bishops serve until their successor was installed.
The two bishops of Columbus who served previous to Brennan – Bishop Frederick Campbell and Bishop James Griffin – both retired from the job and served until the installation of the next bishop, said Deacon Thomas Berg, diocesan chancellor. dking@dispatch.com @Danaeking