Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan
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Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an
American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...
prelate who has served as
Archbishop of New York The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encomp ...
since 2009 and as a cardinal since 2012. Dolan served as the president of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...
(USCCB) from 2010 to 2013. After being made a cardinal by
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
in 2012, Dolan participated in the
2013 papal conclave A papal conclave was held on 12 and 13 March 2013 to elect a new pope to succeed Benedict XVI, who had resigned on 28 February 2013. Of the 117 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2013 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. On th ...
that elected
Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
and in the
2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...
that elected
Pope Leo XIV Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost, September 14, 1955) has been head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State since May 2025. He is the first pope to have been born in the United States and North America, the fir ...
. Dolan is seen as representing conservative values. He previously served as rector of the
Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...
in Rome from 1994 to 2001, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2001 to 2002, and as
Archbishop of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan s ...
from 2002 to 2009.


Biography


Early life

The eldest of five children, Timothy Dolan was born on February 6, 1950, in
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
, to Robert (1925–1977) and Shirley (née Radcliffe) Dolan (1928–2022) . His father was an
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...
, working as a floor supervisor at
McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas Corporation was a major American Aerospace manufacturer, aerospace manufacturing corporation and defense contractor, formed by the merger of McDonnell Aircraft and the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967. Between then and its own ...
. Timothy Dolan has two brothers, one of whom, Bob Dolan, is a former radio talk-show host, and two sisters. The family later moved to
Ballwin, Missouri Ballwin is a western suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 31,103 as of the 2020 census. History Ballwin was established in 1837. The community was named for John Ball, who settled at t ...
, where they attended Holy Infant Parish. Dolan exhibited a strong interest in the priesthood from an early age, once saying, "I can never remember a time I didn't want to be a priest." He would also pretend to celebrate
mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
as a child. Dolan entered Saint Louis Preparatory Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri, in 1964. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy degree from Cardinal Glennon College in Shrewsbury. Cardinal John Carberry then sent Dolan to reside at the Pontifical North American College in Rome while studying there. Dolan earned a
Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...
in 1976 from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.


Priesthood

Dolan was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
a priest at Holy Infant Church on June 19, 1976, for the Archdiocese of St. Louis by Auxiliary Bishop Edward O'Meara. After his 1976 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Dolan as an
associate pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicis ...
at Curé of Ars Parish in Shrewsbury and Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights. In 1979, the archdiocese sent Dolan to Washington D.C. to begin his
doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
studies at the
Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...
under Reverend John Ellis, concentrating on the Catholic history of the United States. Dolan's doctoral
thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
centered on Bishop
Edwin O'Hara Edwin Vincent O'Hara (September 6, 1881 – September 11, 1956) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in Montana from 1930 to 1939 and bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City in Mi ...
of Kansas City; it was eventually published as a book. Upon Dolan's return to Missouri in 1983, the archdiocese assigned him to
pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...
work in parishes for the next four years. During this time, he collaborated with Archbishop John L. May in reforming the
archdiocesan In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
. In 1987, the Vatican appointed Dolan as secretary of the
Apostolic Nunciature An apostolic nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See that is equivalent to an embassy. However, it neither issues visas nor has consul (representative), consulates. The head of the apostolic nunciature is called a ''nuncio ...
in Washington, serving as a liaison with the American dioceses. Dolan left Washington in 1992 after Archbishop John May named him as vice-rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He also served as
spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...
at the seminary and taught Catholic history. Dolan was also posted as an
adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
of theology at
St. Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River and one of the oldest ...
in St. Louis.


Rector of Pontifical North American College

Dolan returned to Rome in 1994 after the USCCB appointed him as rector of the Pontifical North American College. During his tenure in Rome, he published ''Priests for the Third Millennium'', and taught at the
Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...
and St. Thomas Aquinas. He was granted the title of
monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...
by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
in 1994.


Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

On June 19, 2001,
Pope St. John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. H ...
appointed Dolan as an
auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...
of St. Louis and
titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of Natchesium. He received his
episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
on August 15, 2001, from Archbishop
Justin Rigali Justin Francis Rigali (born April 19, 1935) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. After a diplomatic and academic career in Rome, he served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003. He then served as Archbishop of Philadelphia f ...
, with Bishops Joseph Naumann and Michael Sheridan serving as
co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...
. Dolan chose as his episcopal motto: ''Ad quem ibimus'', meaning, "Lord, to whom shall we go?" ().


Archbishop of Milwaukee

On June 25, 2002,
Pope St. John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until his death in 2005. In his youth, Wojtyła dabbled in stage acting. H ...
appointed Dolan as the tenth archbishop of Milwaukee. He was installed at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee on August 28, 2002. Dolan said he was challenged and haunted by the sexual abuse scandal in Milwaukee, which broke during his tenure. According to radio station
WTAQ WTAQ (1360 AM broadcasting, AM) and WTAQ-FM (97.5 FM broadcasting, FM) are conservative Talk radio, news/talk-formatted radio stations, city of license, licensed to Green Bay, Wisconsin (AM) and Glenmore, Wisconsin (FM), that serve the Green B ...
news, "An attorney says at least 8,000 kids were sexually abused by over 100 priests and other offenders in the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese." Dolan took a special interest in priests and
vocations A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. Though now often used in non-religious contexts, the meanings of the term originated in Christianity. A calling, in the reli ...
, and the number of
seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...
enrollments rose during his tenure as archbishop. In an outdoor mass in September 2002, Dolan briefly wore a "
cheesehead Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from Wisconsin or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers. Background Wisconsin is associated with cheese because the state historically produced more dairy products than other American stat ...
" hat during his homily in tribute to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
football team. While in Milwaukee, he wrote ''Called to Be Holy'' (2005) and ''To Whom Shall We Go? Lessons from the Apostle Peter'' (2008), and co-hosted a television program with his brother called ''Living Our Faith''.


Apostolic administrator of Green Bay

On September 28, 2007,
Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
named Dolan as the
apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...
of the Diocese of Green Bay. Continuing to serve as archbishop in Milwaukee, Dolan's term as administrator ended on July 9, 2008, when Benedict XVI appointed Bishop
David L. Ricken David Laurin Ricken (born November 9, 1952) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as the Bishop of Green Bay since 2008. He previously served as Bishop of Cheyenne from 1999 to 2008. Biography Early life and education David Ricken ...
as the next bishop of Green Bay.


Archbishop of New York


Appointment as archbishop and installation

On February 23, 2009, Dolan was appointed the tenth archbishop of New York by Benedict XVI. Dolan succeeded Cardinal
Edward Egan Edward Michael Egan (April 2, 1932 – March 5, 2015) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Bridgeport from 1988 to 2000 and as Archbishop of New York from 2000 to 2009. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001. Earl ...
, who had reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 for prelates in 2007. According to Dolan, Apostolic Nuncio
Pietro Sambi Pietro Sambi (27 June 1938 – 27 July 2011) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011. He had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, f ...
notified him by phone of his appointment in New York "nine, ten days" prior to the official announcement. Dolan said that when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of St. Louis and archbishop of Milwaukee, he was told on the phone that John Paul II "would like imto" take the posts. In contrast, Sambi told Dolan that "the Pope enedict XVIhad appointed im to New York, giving Dolan little choice other than to accept it. Before Dolan's appointment as archbishop of New York, observers had repeatedly mentioned him as a possible successor to Egan. However, Dolan downplayed such speculation, saying, "Anytime there's kind of a major see that opens, what have we seen with Washington, Baltimore, Detroit, now New York, my name for some reason comes up. I'm flattered." John L. Allen Jr., Vatican correspondent for the ''National Catholic Reporter'', noted that Benedict XVI's appointment of Dolan followed his pattern of choosing prelates "who are basically conservative in both their politics and their theology, but also upbeat, pastoral figures given to dialogue." In an interview with the ''
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
'' before his installation, Dolan pledged to challenge claims that the Catholic Church was unenlightened due to its opposition to
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
and abortion. Dolan said that he hoped to rebuild confidence among Catholics who were disenchanted with the church after the sexual abuse scandals; he described these scandals as "a continuing source of shame". Dolan was installed as archbishop of New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 15, 2009. He wore the
pectoral cross A pectoral cross or pectorale (from the Latin ''pectoralis'', "of the chest") is a Christian cross, cross that is worn on the chest, usually suspended from the neck by a cord or Link chain, chain. In ancient history and the Middle Ages, pector ...
used by his 19th-century predecessor, Archbishop
John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...
. Eleven cardinals and several New York elected officials attended the ceremony. Dolan received the
pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
, a
vestment Vestments are Liturgy, liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christianity, Christian religion, especially by Eastern Christianity, Eastern Churches, Catholic Church, Catholics (of all rites), Lutherans, and Anglicans. ...
worn by
metropolitan bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...
s, from Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009, in a ceremony at
St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...
. Dolan is the Grand Prior of the USA Eastern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.


Closing of schools and parishes

Soon after his arrival in New York, Dolan oversaw two "strategic planning" processes on the utilization of archdiocesan schools and parishes. "Pathways to Excellence," held from 2009 to 2013, examined the elementary schools. "Making All Things New," from 2010 to 2015, examined the parishes. Like in many other American dioceses, Dolan closed dozens of underutilized schools and parishes would close or merge with others in their neighborhoods, due to decades-long trends of shifting populations, increasing expenses, declining attendance, and decreasing clergy. Dolan served as chair of the board of directors of
Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...
, in which capacity he visited
Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
and India, until his election as USCCB president. He remains a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America.


Apostolic visitations

Dolan was the apostolic visitor to Irish seminaries as part of the
Apostolic visitation to Ireland The apostolic visitation to Ireland was announced on 20 March 2010 in the pastoral letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to Irish Catholics after the publication of the Ryan and Murphy Reports on Catholic Church sexual abuse of children in Ireland ...
following the 2009 publication of the Ryan and
Murphy Report The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of a Commission of investigation conducted by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. It was released in 2009 by Judge Yvonne Murphy, only a fe ...
s on sexual abuse. Dolan was part of a team that included Cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made ...
, archbishop emeritus of Westminster; Cardinal
Seán Patrick O'Malley Seán Patrick O'Malley (born June 29, 1944) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to 2024. He has served as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors since 2014. He is also a f ...
of Boston; Toronto's Archbishop
Thomas Christopher Collins Thomas Christopher Collins (born 16 January 1947) is a Canadian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was the Roman Catholic Archbishops of Toronto, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto from 2007 to 2023, the Roman Cat ...
; and Ottawa's Archbishop
Terrence Prendergast Terrence Thomas Prendergast (born 19 February 1944) is a Canadian member of the Society of Jesus who is also a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archbishop Emeritus of Ottawa-Cornwall. He was formerly an auxiliary bishop of the A ...
. They reported their findings to Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. On January 5, 2011, Dolan was appointed to the newly created
Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization The Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization (Latin: ''Pontificium Consilium de Nova Evangelizatione''), also translated as Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, was a pontifical council of the Roman Curia whose crea ...
. Also in 2011, at the Vatican's request, Dolan led a visitation (investigation) of the
Pontifical Irish College The Pontifical Irish College is a Catholic Church, Catholic seminary in Rome for the training and education of priests. The college is located at #1, Via dei Santi Quattro, and serves as a residence for clerical students from all over the world ...
, the seminary for Irish seminarians and priests studying in Rome. His 2012 report was highly critical of the college. It said that "a disturbingly significant number of seminarians gave a negative assessment of the atmosphere of the house". The report said that the staff were "critical about any emphasis on Rome, tradition, the magisterium, piety or assertive orthodoxy, while the students are enthusiastic about these features". It also said: "The apostolic visitor noted, and heard from students, an 'anti-ecclesial bias' in theological formation. Dolan's report recommended that the college make staff changes. As a result, the college reassigned three staff members back to Ireland and a fourth one resigned. The four Irish archbishops (Cardinal
Seán Brady Seán Brady or similar names may refer to: * Seán Brady (cardinal) (born 1939), Irish cardinal and former archbishop of Armagh * Sean Brady (fighter) (born 1992), American mixed martial artist * Seán Brady (Teachta Dála) (1890–1969), Fianna Fá ...
, Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin Diarmuid Martin (born 8 April 1945) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland from 2004 to 2020. From 1976 to 2003 he held a variety of positions in the Roman Curia and in the diplomatic ser ...
; Archbishop Michael Neary; and Archbishop
Dermot Clifford Dermot Clifford, (born 25 January 1939), was the Catholic Archbishop of Cashel and Emly in Ireland from 1988 to 2014. From 7 March 2009 to 27 January 2013, he also served as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Cloyne. He was a foundi ...
) responded to the report, saying that "a deep prejudice appears to have coloured the visitation and from the outset it led to the hostile tone and content of the report".


Other actions

On December 29, 2011, Dolan was appointed a member of the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications The Pontifical Council for Social Communications () was a dicastery of the Roman Curia that was suppressed in March 2016 and merged into the Secretariat for Communication (now the Dicastery for Communication). According to '' Pastor bonus'', Po ...
for a five-year renewable term. On April 21, 2011, he was appointed a member of the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches The Dicastery for the Eastern Churches (also called the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches), previously named the Congregation for the Oriental Churches or Congregation for the Eastern Churches (), is a dicastery of the Roman Curia responsible f ...
. On January 24, 2012, Dolan went on a religious pilgrimage to
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and the West Bank, where he met the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal. On November 30, 2013, Pope Francis named Dolan a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education. On September 3, 2014, Dolan denied requests by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Diocese of Peoria to receive the remains of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Fulton Sheen, who had been entombed in St. Patrick's Cathedral since his death in 1979. The diocese sued the archdiocese, claiming that it owned the rights to remains. On November 17, 2016, Judge Arlene Bluth of the New York Supreme Court, New York State Supreme Court ordered the archdiocese to transfer the remains to Peoria. On September 13, 2014, Dolan was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Dolan completed a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock in Knock Ireland, in 2015. On May 13, 2017, he celebrated a requiem mass when John Curry, the youngest witness to the Knock apparition, was re-interred in St. Patrick's Old Cathedral cemetery in Lower Manhattan after being disinterred from an unmarked grave on Long Island. At the First inauguration of Donald Trump, inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20, 2017, Dolan delivered the first benediction. His invocation included a recitation of Solomon, King Solomon's prayer from the Book of Wisdom. In August 2020 offered the opening prayer for the 2020 Republican National Convention. In February 2023, Dolan announced that the archdiocese was closing 12 schools that had not recovered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 13, 2024, during a visit to Jerusalem, Dolan and his entourage were forced to take cover due to an Iranian missile attack on the city. The attack was a response to an April 1 Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Damascus, Syria. No one in Dolan's group was injured. Dolan on October 1, 2024, announced that the archdiocese was suing its insurers, Chubb Group, for its alleged failure to pay insurance claims related to the sexual abuse scandal.


USCCB

Within the USCCB, Dolan chairs the Priestly Life and Ministry Committee and sits on the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. In November 2007, he lost the election for USCCB Vice President, vice president, being defeated by Bishop Gerald Frederick Kicanas, Gerald Kicanas by a margin of 22 votes. Dolan was elected on November 16, 2010, to the USCCB presidency, becoming the first New York prelate to hold this post. Dolan replaced Cardinal Cardinal Francis George, Francis George, who did not run for re-election. In a vote of 128 to 111, Dolan defeated Kicanas and eight other candidates to win the three-year term. Dolan took office two days later and served as president until November 12, 2013.


Cardinal

Dolan was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Benedict XVI on February 18, 2012. The day before the Papal consistory, consistory, Dolan addressed the pope and the College of Cardinals on spreading the faith in a secularized world. He was created Cardinal Priest of the Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario church in Rome. Dolan was the first archbishop of New York since 1946 not to receive the titular church of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Rome, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, as that title was still being held by his predecessor, Cardinal Egan. After Benedict XVI announced his retirement as pope due to ill health, effective February 28, 2013, the press suggested Dolan as a ''papabile'', a possible successor to Benedict. According to several reports, Cardinal Dolan acted as a kingmaker in the
2025 papal conclave A conclave was held on 7 and 8 May 2025 to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Francis, Francis, who had died on 21 April 2025. Of the 135 eligible Cardinal electors in the 2025 papal conclave, cardinal electors, all but two attended. Cardinal Piet ...
, gathering strong support for Robert Francis Prevost, who was eventually elected pope as Pope Leo XIV, Leo XIV.


Views


Artificial contraception

In February 2012, Dolan criticized the contraceptive mandate enacted by the Obama administration requiring employers offering employee health insurance to provide at least one form of artificial contraception to their female employees. In a televised CBS interview, Dolan charged the federal government with forcing Catholic organizations to provide birth control coverage, even though it contravened Catholic teaching. In March 2012, after the administration amended the rule to require the insurers, not the employers, to provide the birth control coverage for employees, Dolan said that the "first decision was a terribly misguided judgment" and that the March revision was "a first step".


Race and police issues

On June 2, 2020, Dolan spoke on his podcast about the protests and police actions following the 2020 murders of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, along with the 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville. In this interview, he attempted to speak to both protesters and police. He argued that police were mostly good people and compared them to priests. He also said that the protesters had an important message. Dolan then said that black lives matter, joining that statement with "all lives matter" and "police lives matter". In a June 28, 2020, ''Wall Street Journal'' opinion piece, Dolan argued against removing statues of American historical figures because they had been slave owners or fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. Dolan said, "If we only honor perfect, saintly people of the past, I guess I'm left with only the cross. And some people would ban that." In a July 1, 2020, opinion piece for the ''New York Post'', Dolan called for ending the perceived demonization of the New York City Police Department. He said that "the most stinging rebuke [of the murder of George Floyd by a policeman in Minneapolis] comes from ... cops I chat with on the sidewalks of New York". He added that "in a recent meeting with community activists, one black leader reminded us, 'Don't give me this 'get-rid-of-the-cops' rant! You on Madison Avenue or Park Avenue might not need the police. We up in The Bronx sure do!


Moral issues

In November 2009, Dolan signed the ''Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience, Manhattan Declaration'', a manifesto circulated by conservative Christian groups in the United States. The declaration called for Christians to commit acts of civil disobedience against laws forcing them to participate in abortion or treat same sex relationships as if they are marriages.


LGBTQ

In October 2017, Auxiliary Bishop John Joseph O'Hara, John O'Hara, acting on Dolan's behalf, stopped St. Mary Parish in the Archdiocese of New York from hosting the International Human Rights Art Festival. This was because the festival had scheduled two performances that included gay and transgender content. After the archdiocese complained about it, the festival director moved the event to an Episcopal church in Brooklyn. In June 2023, Outreach Catholic, an LGBTQ Catholic advocacy group, held a conference at Fordham University. Francis sent his best wishes to the conference attendees. Prior to the event, Dolan sent a letter to Reverend James J. Martin (priest), James Martin, the leader of Outreach, stating: "It is the sacred duty of the Church and Her ministers to reach out to those on the periphery and draw them to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Your vital and important ministry is a valuable and necessary contribution to that effort."


War and capital punishment

In 2009, Dolan defended his silence in 2001 regarding US President George W. Bush's appearance at the University of Notre Dame. Some Catholics had criticized Bush for his support of capital punishment. Many Catholics later condemned him for the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. Dolan said, "Where President Bush would have taken positions on those two hot-button issues that I'd be uncomfortable with, namely the war and capital punishment, I would have to give him the benefit of the doubt to say that those two issues are open to some discussion and are not intrinsically evil. In the Catholic mindset that would not apply to abortion."


Sexual abuse scandal

In 2002, Archbishop Justin Rigali of St. Louis assigned Dolan to investigate Catholic sex abuse cases, priests accused of sexual misconduct in the archdiocese. Dolan spoke with parishioners, victims, and the media about the scandals, and invited victims to come forward with their allegations. Commenting on his meetings with victims, Dolan said "it is impossible to exaggerate the gravity of the situation, and the suffering that victims feel, because I've spent the last four months being with them, crying with them, having them express their anger to me." Dolan's dismissal of abusive priests from public ministry angered some parishioners, who denounced his investigation as a "witch hunt". In a 2003 letter to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Dolan requested that the Vatican expedite the Loss of clerical state (Catholic Church), laicization of priests whom he believed were "remorseless and a serious risk to children". In the letter, Dolan wrote: "As victims organize and become more public, the potential for true scandal is very real." In 2011, Dolan thanked Bill Donohue, leader of the conservative group Catholic League (U.S.), Catholic League, for a press release that was reproduced on the Archdiocese of New York website. In the statement, Donohue denounced Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) as a "phony victims' group". SNAP had previously criticized Dolan. In May 2012, ''The New York Times'' revealed that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, then headed by Dolan, had paid some abusive priests up to $20,000 to resign the priesthood immediately rather than wait for the Vatican to laicize them. The archdiocese noted that these priests, all suspended from public ministry, were still receiving full salaries and would continue to do so until their laicization. Furthermore, these payments were motivating them not to contest being defrocked; Dolan had previously termed accusations of giving "payoffs" to accused priests as "false, preposterous and unjust". In July 2013, documents made public during bankruptcy proceedings for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. They showed that Dolan, then archbishop of Milwaukee, in 2007 had sought permission from the Vatican to shield $57 million in church funds from victims lawsuits. In the letter, Dolan wrote: "By transferring these assets to the trust, I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability."Goodstein, Laurie (July 1, 2013)
"Dolan Sought to Protect Church Assets, Files Show"
. ''The New York Times''. "Files released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Monday reveal that in 2007, Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan, then the archbishop there, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund to protect the assets from victims of clergy sexual abuse who were demanding compensation."
Dolan had previously denied shielding assets from child sex abuse victims claiming compensation, calling the accusations "old and discredited" and "malarkey." The Vatican approved the 2007 request from Dolan five weeks later. In September 2018, after the August release of the Grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania grand jury report on sexual abuse in Pennsylvania dioceses and the sexual abuse allegations against then Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a ''CNN'' interviewer asked Dolan whether he believed that homosexuality was a cause of clergy sexual abuse of minors. He answered: "I don't think that's the sole root of it. The sole root of it is a lack of chastity, a lack of virtue. This isn't about right or left. This isn't about gay or straight. This is about right and wrong." In 2019, The Washington Post, The ''Washington Post'' reported that Dolan, along with some other American prelates, had received substantial cash gifts from Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, which he took from investments owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling–Charleston, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Bransfield had resigned following allegations of sexual misconduct and embezzlement, and was later forced by the Vatican to make restitution to his diocese. Dolan never commented on this allegation.


Terrorism

In April 2009, Dolan visited World Trade Center site, Ground Zero, the Manhattan site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center. Dolan recited the same prayer offered there by Benedict XVI during his 2008 visit to New York, commenting, "We'll never stop crying. But it's also about September 12th and all the renewal and rebuilding and hope and solidarity and compassion that symbolizes this great community and still does."


Letter to cardinals

In July 2020, the progressive National Catholic Report reported that Ignatius Press sent copies of the book ''The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission,'' by conservative author George Weigel, to all 222 cardinals. The publishers included a copy of a letter from Dolan, stating: "I am grateful to Ignatius Press for making this important reflection on the future of the Church available to the College of Cardinals." Some cardinals saw this as a violation of the 1996 apostolic constitution ''Universi Dominici gregis'' in which John Paul II "forbid(s) anyone, even if he is a Cardinal, during the Pope's lifetime and without having consulted him, to make plans concerning the election of his successor." Dolan had earlier been critical of the way Francis had organized the 2015 Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Synod on the Family. Replying to criticism about his book, Weigel stated that it "does not contain a single sentence about a future conclave. No potential candidates are named and no conclave strategy is discussed. The book is a reflection on the future of the Office of Peter in what Pope Francis has called a Church 'permanently in mission'. Period."


Distinctions

* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus, awarded on December 11, 2011, by Victor Emmanuel, Prince of Naples. * Knight Grand Cross of Justice of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George * Bailiff Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Order of Malta * Isaiah Award for Exemplary Interreligious Leadership, presented on November 2, 2015, by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). It cited Dolan for "his steadfast contribution and ongoing commitment to the relationship between our respective faiths".


Published books

*Dolan, Fr. Timothy M. (1992). ''Some Seed Fell on Good GroundThe Life of Edwin V. O'Hara''. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press. . *Dolan, Fr. Timothy M. (''circa'' 1993). ''A Century of Papal Representation in the United States''. South Orange, New Jersey: Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology of Seton Hall University. . *Dolan, Monsignor Timothy M. (2000). ''Priests For The Third Millennium''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. . (A collection of talks given to the seminarians and priests at the
Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Prie ...
, a school in Rome, Italy, for Roman Catholic seminarians and priests.) *Dolan, Archbishop Timothy M.; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis (2001). ''Archdiocese of St. LouisThree Centuries of Catholicism, 1700–2000''. Strasbourg, France: . . *Dolan, Archbishop Timothy M. (2005). ''Called to Be Holy''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. . *Dolan, Archbishop Timothy M. (2007). ''Advent ReflectionsCome, Lord Jesus!''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. . *Dolan, Archbishop Timothy M. (2009). ''Doers of the WordPutting Your Faith into Practice''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. . *Dolan, Archbishop Timothy M. (2009). ''To Whom Shall We Go?Lessons from the Apostle Peter''. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor. .


See also

* Catholic Church hierarchy * Catholic Church in the United States * Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States * List of Catholic bishops of the United States * Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops


References


External links

* * * (personal website)
Profile at the Archdiocese of New York website
* *
Article on Dolan's installation as archbishop
from the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel''
Priestly Life and Ministry Committee
, at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website
Subcommittee on the Church in Africa
, at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dolan, Timothy 1950 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 21st-century American cardinals 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American anti-same-sex-marriage activists American male non-fiction writers American religious writers American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent American Roman Catholic writers Bishops appointed by Pope Benedict XVI Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI Catholic University of America alumni Clergy from St. Louis Kenrick–Glennon Seminary alumni Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Priors of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Manhattan Institute for Policy Research Members of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Members of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation Members of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical North American College rectors Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Presidents of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Roman Catholic archbishops of Milwaukee Roman Catholic archbishops of New York Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Writers from Missouri Writers from New York City Writers from Milwaukee