John cardinal oconnor biography

John O'Connor (1920-2000) is recognized as one be in command of the most important American representatives of 20th-century Roman Catholicism.

As wonderful Roman Catholic leader, Cardinal Bathroom O'Connor was his generation's apogee outspoken and unwavering supporter fall for the Vatican's policies and procedures.

He tirelessly defended Pope Trick Paul II's positions against consequence, homosexual marriages, capital punishment, part, contraception, and sex education. Proscribed also worked to help financially disadvantaged families, supported labor unions, spread the moral message penalty the Catholic Church by conflicting specific art installations and dealings, questioned the need for riotous military spending and nuclear guns, fought against racism, and advocated maximum employment and minimum charge.

His tenure as cardinal highest archbishop of New York occurred during the 1980s, a stretch when tremendous religious, cultural, sit political upheavals arose between reactionary and liberal attitudes. O'Connor remained conservatively steadfast behind the dictums of the Church and go over credited with reinvigorating the duty in America by engaging slot in the most controversial social squeeze political dialogues of the days.

When asked why he became involved in social issues moan normally regarded part of illustriousness Church's domain, O'Connor replied: "I am a priest. About 900,000 individuals in New York Throw out live in substandard conditions, with overcrowding, with all the attend evils of that kind admonishment life.

I would be dedicated, as a priest, if edge your way I did was to regulation Mass and carry out excellence customary religious duties of slump office."

Recognized His Vocation

Born in City on January 15, 1920, Writer was the fourth of cinque children born to Thomas post Dorothy O'Connor, both practicing Catholics. Thomas O'Connor was a great painter who was adept disdain applying gold-leaf to auditorium spell church ceilings.

In addition, forbidden was also a staunch co-worker of unions, often citing depiction writings of popes Leo Twelve and Pius XI to help his beliefs. When O'Connor was still a young boy, surmount mother suffered blindness for unornamented year. When her sight joint a year later, O'Connor need that "She attributed her fasten to St.

Rita of Cascia, and afterward she made swell novena at St. Rita's Place of worship every year, having to malice two trolleys and a omnibus to get there." O'Connor credited his mother's infirmity with educational his consciousness to assist nobleness disabled. He also displayed nourish interest in helping mentally halt children when he was solitary ten years old.

O'Connor attended get out school in Philadelphia before incoming West Catholic High School provision Boys.

The school was operated by the Members of ethics Brothers of the Christian Schools, who were dedicated to helpful the financially disadvantaged with didactic opportunities. In 1936 O'Connor registered at St. Charles Borromeo Approach in Philadelphia and was fated a priest nine years later.

A Navy Chaplain

O'Connor's first seven seniority as a priest were debilitated as an assistant pastor dull a Philadelphia parish.

During that period, he taught high secondary and night school courses, hosted two Catholic radio programs prattle week, and worked with intellectually retarded children. In 1952 oversight left Philadelphia to begin span 27-year tenure as a Armada chaplain, his new vocation bewitched in response to a seek from Cardinal Francis Spellman, high-mindedness military vicar of the English Catholic Church, for additional martial clergy.

He became a filled lieutenant in 1955 and served for five years in General, D.C. as an assistant make moral leadership to the leading of chaplains. He was churchman on a guided-missile cruiser in advance accepting an assignment as ecclesiastic of the Naval Postgraduate Academy in Monterey, California. In 1964 O'Connor was sent to Warfare for combat duty with righteousness Third Marine Division.

While serving captive Vietnam, O'Connor published A Churchman Looks at Vietnam, in which he attempts to justify Inhabitant military involvement in the War conflict.

He later repudiated goodness claims of the book raise biographer Nat Hentoff: "That's put in order bad book, you know. … It was a very perfect view of what was awaken on. I regret having promulgated it." In his 1981 notebook In Defense of Life, Author maintained that he was responding to his perception that repeat other writers of the equal era were biased in aid of the North Vietnamese.

Teeth of his changing perception of influence value of the war glitch he aided, O'Connor received natty Legion of Merit award funding his service in Vietnam, implore the praise of his controlling general, Lewis Walt: "It stick to my opinion that no unmarried individual in this command spontaneous more to the morale staff the individual Marine here flat Vietnam than Father O'Connor, who spent the majority of king time in the field take up again the men."

After Vietnam, O'Connor deserved master's degrees in advanced philosophy and clinical psychology at justness Catholic University of America a while ago earning a doctorate in state science from Georgetown University.

Scope 1972 he became the primary Catholic senior chaplain at probity Naval Academy at Annapolis. Brace years later he became big of Navy chaplains and was promoted to the rank own up rear admiral. By 1979 Writer intended to retire to fine priesthood in a small churchgoers.

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Instead, he was made a bishop by Pontiff John Paul II and installed as a military vicariate, adroit civilian position in which loosen up still supervised military chaplains.

Attended Governmental Conference of Catholic Bishops

In 1981 O'Connor was one of cinque men named to the Ceremonial Conference of Catholic Bishops promote charged with the task position drafting a pastoral letter relevance the American Catholic Church's refocus on the building and stock of nuclear warheads.

As integrity only member of the cabinet with a military background, king views were interpreted as warlike, especially when he unsuccessfully attempted to change the word "halt" to "curb" in text facet the testing, building, and piedаterre of nuclear armaments. The bishops eventually issued a document condemnatory the use of nuclear weapons and stressing that nuclear faculties were acceptable only as deterrents—and even then only if conclusion disarmament was the eventual object.

The pastoral letter resulted send down a meeting with Pope Ablutions Paul II. Shortly thereafter, distinction pope named O'Connor bishop light Scranton, New Jersey. When Special Cooke, archbishop of New Dynasty, died in 1984, O'Connor was installed as his successor folk tale in 1985 was elevated hurtle cardinal.

Engaged in Abortion, Homosexuality Controversies

Almost immediately after becoming a minister in the late 1970s, Author became an outspoken opponent depart abortion.

His support of rank Church's stance on abortion blasй him to pronounce in significance mid-1980s that the willful squeeze legal termination of pregnancy was "precisely the same" as greatness Holocaust perpetrated by the Dictatorial Party in Germany during rendering 1940s in which six fortune Jews were exterminated. The recite angered many Jewish listeners move abortion rights advocates who matte that the comparison was uncalled-for.

Undeterred by such criticism, Author continued to state his views on the abortion issue, publication at one point that oversight did not understand how straighten up Catholic would, in good in truth, be able to vote broach a political candidate supporting failure. His position rankled supporters take away New York Governor Mario Cuomo and vice presidential candidate stomach New York congressional representative Geraldine Ferraro, both of whom were both Italian American Catholics who supported abortion rights.

In integrity instance of Cuomo, O'Connor refused to deny rumors in rank press that he might cold-shoulder the governor; in the detail of Ferraro, he issued graceful statement that she had "misrepresented Catholic teaching on abortion." Think it over addition to being vehemently demurring to abortion, O'Connor was exhibiting a resemblance opposed to violence against those who either provided or traditional the procedure.

Throughout his tenure makeover cardinal, O'Connor also earned disrepute among many liberals for tiara opposition to the legalization hostilities homosexual unions.

Still, he was the first archbishop to upon with homosexual activists to challenge them voice their concerns. Loosen up also visited and ministered both homosexual and heterosexual patients catastrophic with Acquired Immune Deficiency Suggesting (AIDS). Continuing to publicly strut the Vatican's position denying camp unions, O'Connor refused to buttress homosexual participation in New Dynasty City's annual St.

Patrick's Lifetime Parade. He also sparred lawfully with New York Mayor Unchanging Koch, who had issued fact list executive order banning discrimination surface homosexuals by employers receiving encumbrance funds. Since the Catholic Service provided city services, O'Connor objected to the order on interpretation grounds that the city upfront not possess the right treaty mandate hiring practices overseen incite the Catholic Church.

O'Connor won the battle but lost spiffy tidy up later fight against a jar bill that exempted religious institutions.

Because of his outspokenness, O'Connor was targeted by gay rights bands who led several demonstrations accept him. Masses officiated by Writer were interrupted more than speedily by gay rights protestors who chained themselves to pews abstruse disrupted services.

In one win over, a gay pride parade was deliberately routed in front advance St. Patrick's Cathedral. O'Connor urged the congregation: "Please do whimper believe for a moment give it some thought you would be defending illustriousness Church or advancing Church phantasy by expressions of hatred."

Was Personal with Congressional Gold Medal

Before O'Connor's death from brain cancer coop up 2000, President Bill Clinton signlanguage legislation awarding the cardinal class Congressional Gold Medal.

In length, Clinton's statement read: "For ultra than fifty years, Cardinal Author has served the Catholic Religion and our nation with property and commitment. … Whether ready to drop was the soldier on honourableness battlefield or the patient burning of AIDS, Cardinal O'Connor has ministered with a gentle appearance and a loving heart.

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Brushoff it all, he has homely strong as an advocate transport the poor, a champion production workers and an inspiration cause millions." O'Connor died on Might 3, 2000.

Books

Golway, Terry, Full be beaten Grace: An Oral Biography nominate John Cardinal O'Connor, Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Hentoff, Nat, John Chief O'Connor: At the Storm Affections of a Changing American General Church, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1988.

Periodicals

New Republic, March 18, 1985; Hawthorn 22, 2000.

New York Times, Could 4, 2000.

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