Pope Francis announces Chaput’s retirement
Pope Francis sought to shift the ideological balance of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States on Thursday, replacing one of his most prominent conservative critics as the archbishop of Philadelphia.
Pope Francis announced that Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia was retiring and that Bishop Nelson J. Perez of Cleveland, a former Philadelphian and relative newcomer to the national scene, would assume the role.
“The Holy Father has accepted the resignation” of Chaput, the statement said, adding that the pope had named Perez to take his place. Chaput was archbishop of Denver from 1997 to 2011.
“I cannot think of a better successor to lead this Archdiocese,” Chaput wrote on his Facebook page Thursday morning, calling the nomination a “moment of great joy” for Philadelphia’s Catholics. He said Perez “is already known and loved by our priests and people.”
Chaput, who was appointed to the position by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011, has long been known as a theological and political conservative, often at odds with Francis’ mission to move beyond the culture wars. The move is a sign that the pope, who has installed key allies in Chicago and Newark, N.J., is still intent on changing the ideological direction of the American church by directing one of its most traditionalist dioceses toward a more pastoral approach.
Francis recently acknowledged that a good deal of the op
position to his pontificate emanated from the United States, telling a reporter who handed him a book exploring the well-financed and media-backed U.S. effort to undermine his agenda that it was “an honor that the Americans attack me.”
Chaput’s departure was expected, as he had offered his resignation to Francis when he turned 75 in September. Church law requires every bishop tender his resignation to the pope at that age, but the pontiff can choose not to accept it.
In this case, the pope did not wait long.
Chaput became a favorite among Catholic conservatives for supporting the denial of Communion to Catholic politicians who back abortion rights, opposing the legalization of gay marriage and, as archbishop of Denver before gay marriage was legalized nationally, helping defeat legislation that would have legalized civil unions for gay couples in the state.
Chaput, a member of the Cappuchin order, has denied he is a critic of Pope Francis, and he hosted the Argentine pope when he visited Philadelphia in 2015 for a big family rally.
But the two clashed. After Francis opened the door to letting divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion in 2016, Chaput closed the door in Philadelphia by saying they must abstain from sex if they want the sacrament.
Many conservatives around the church counted his removal as yet another power play by Francis, whom they have called a “dictator pope” who ignores their complaints that he is diluting the faith and breaking church traditions.
A small but vocal and influential group of American prelates has consistently raised the possibility that Francis may be leading the church toward schism. But Francis has mostly brushed those threats off as dust on the shoulders of his white robes.
“I pray that there are no schisms,” he said on a flight from Africa in September. “But I am not scared.”
At a news conference in Philadelphia on Thursday morning, Perez thanked Chaput for his influence in his life, calling him “a great mentor, a great friend.”
“I am concerned of the shoes that I have to fill,” he said. “We thank him for his incredible ministry for the church.”
He also acknowledged the complexities of his new assignment, apologizing directly to victims of clergy sexual abuse, and he addressed Latino Catholics, at times in Spanish, raising concerns about antiimmigrant sentiment in the United States.
“There’s a rhetoric at times that happens with our immigrants that is just not dignified, and we have to respect the dignity of the human person,” he said. “It is the role of the state and the government to protect our dignity.”
Chaput said he would continue to live in Philadelphia and be involved in the archdiocese. He plans to take three months to read, cook and pray — then resume activities such as giving talks and leading retreats across the country, a sign he likely will remain influential in the church as a prominent conservative leader.
A significant posting for the church in the United States, the archdiocese of Philadelphia is traditionally a cardinal’s seat, meaning that its leader is usually named a cardinal, the church’s highest clerical rank after pontiff.
Pope Francis notably never elevated Chaput for the red hat. That denial has frustrated many conservatives.
As it became clear that Francis would never make Chaput a cardinal, many church analysts noted that the conservative became more vocal in his criticism, often using a column on the archdiocese’s website as a soapbox to express a dissonant view.
Chaput was also a firm administrator, tapped to reform a region in financial and spiritual disarray after extensive allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy in the area.
Chaput removed priests accused of abuse, closed 49 schools, and sold the archbishop’s mansion for $10 million as part of a plan to reduce the operating budget deficit.
Chaput is also the first American Indian archbishop and a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe.
Perez, a Cuban-American born in Miami and raised in New Jersey, will be the first Latino priest to lead the church in Philadelphia.
Francis named Perez the bishop of Cleveland in the fall of 2017, making his elevation relatively quick. He spent 23 years serving in different Philadelphia parishes after ordination to the priesthood.
His installation as archbishop is planned for Feb. 18.