Pope appoints Rhode Island bishop to succeed Cardinal O’Malley as Boston archbishop

BRAINTREE, Mass. (OSV News) — Ending months of speculation about the future leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley and appointed Bishop Richard G. Henning of Providence, R.I., to succeed him as the archdiocese’s 10th bishop and seventh archbishop.

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington Aug. 5 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

According to the archdiocese, Archbishop Henning, 59, will be installed Oct. 31. Cardinal O’Malley remains archbishop of Boston until that date.

According to rules set by St. Paul VI, all bishops must submit their resignation to the pope at age 75, which the pope is free to accept or defer as he chooses. However, because the same rules dictate that cardinals lose their appointments in Vatican dicasteries and may not participate in the conclave to elect the next pope once they turn 80, it is typically expected that the pope will accept the resignation of active cardinals at or around that age.

Cardinal O’Malley celebrated his 80th birthday on June 29. He has headed the Boston Archdiocese since July 2003. Archbishop Henning has headed the Providence Diocese since his May 1, 2023, installation.

For the time being, Cardinal O’Malley remains the head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, a body created by Pope Francis to fight pedophilia by priests that the the Boston prelate has led since 2014.

In a statement released in English and Spanish, Cardinal O’Malley welcomed Archbishop Henning on behalf of the archdiocese’s priests, religious, deacons and laity.

“We extend our deep gratitude to the Holy Father for this appointment demonstrating his ongoing pastoral care for the people of the Archdiocese,” he said, adding that he looked forward “to our people and the wider community” getting to know his successor in “in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. He ministers with the heart of a pastor with a sincere commitment to serving Christ and the Church.”

Cardinal O’Malley asked the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for the newly named archbishop “as he begins to plan for this transition. In the meantime, please be assured of my continued prayers for all of you.”

Archbishop Henning expressed gratitude to the pope “for his confidence in me and for his conferral of this new mission as Archbishop of Boston. I receive this appointment relying upon divine Providence, aware that this is the Lord’s Church and that I am no more than an unworthy servant.”

He thanked Cardinal O’Malley for serving “the Church of Boston for many faithful and joyful years” and greeted the clergy, religious and laity of the archdiocese, asking for their prayers “that I may cling to the Lord’s Holy Cross, honor His mother, imitate His saints, and love you as His people and His ministers.”

After Cardinal O’Malley and Archbishop Henning celebrated a morning Mass at the archdiocesan Pastoral Center, they held a joint press conference.

The church has faced many challenges in his 40 years as a bishop, the cardinal said, including “a time of great crisis and of great pain because of the terrible scourge of sexual abuse.” “But despite all the challenges we’ve had I’m full of hope,” he said.

Cardinal O’Malley described his successor as “someone who transmits hope to restless hearts” and said his appointment is “a time of renewal and hope.”

Archbishop Henning said he was a child himself when many of “these crimes and sins” of abuse were committed. “I’m grateful to God that I was not affected by it personally, but people in my generation were,” he added.

The survivors “deserve a listening heart,” he said. “In some ways they have as much to proclaim to us about the Gospel as we do to them.”

Shortly after his appointment was announced, Archbishop Henning told reporters his first actions as Boston’s new shepherd will be “visiting, listening, learning before I start setting priorities.”

In a statement directed at the Diocese of Providence, he said, “You may have noticed that I usually have something to say. I regret that in this instance, I do not feel that I can find the words to express my sorrow in leaving the Church of Providence. In so many ways and moments, you have welcomed me into your churches, homes, and hearts. Your resilience in the face of challenges, your commitment to family and community, and your abiding faith in Jesus have lifted me and taught me. I am ever in your debt.”

“I will never cease to pray for you, and I hope for your prayers for me,” he said.

Richard Garth Henning was born in Rockville Centre, N.Y., Oct. 17, 1964, to Richard and Maureen Henning, the first of five siblings. He grew up in Valley Stream, receiving the sacraments of baptism, first Communion and confirmation at Holy Name of Mary Parish, where he also attended the parish grammar school.

Archbishop Henning attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, going on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from St. John’s University in the New York City borough of Queens. He studied for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, N.Y., and was ordained in 1992.

Following his ordination, he was assigned to a local parish for five years and gained extensive pastoral experience working in the parish school and ministering to the Spanish-speaking Catholics of the area.

In 1997, then-Father Henning was assigned to postgraduate studies in sacred Scripture. He earned a licentiate in biblical theology at The Catholic University of America in Washington and a doctorate in the same subject from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

After his studies, Archbishop Henning joined the faculty of Immaculate Conception Seminary in Huntington, where he taught Scripture for more than 10 years.

In 2012, as part of the partnership for seminary formation among the dioceses of Rockville Centre, N.Y., and Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Archdiocese of New York, then-Msgr. Henning was appointed to lead Immaculate Conception Seminary through its transition to the largest retreat house in the Northeast. The ordinaries of Rockville Centre, Brooklyn and New York also charged him to establish and lead the Sacred Heart Institute for the ongoing formation of Catholic priests and deacons. Archbishop Henning is also noted for his work with international priests serving in the U.S.

In 2018, Pope Francis appointed then-Msgr. Henning as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he served as a regional vicar and later as the vicar for Clergy and Pastoral Planning.

In November 2022, Archbishop Henning was appointed the coadjutor bishop of Providence. He succeeded Bishop Thomas Tobin as the Bishop of Providence on May 1, 2023.

This story was updated at 1;20 p.m.

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