A leading Italian newspaper is reporting that The
Catholic bishop of Phoenix will be appointed soon to a position at the Vatican.
Longtime Vatican reporter Marco Tosatti of
Italy's La Stampa wrote that Bishop Thomas
J. Olmsted will become secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life. The secretary position is second in command of the office.
No official appointment has been made by
Vatican officials.
Tosatti, in an e-mail exchange The Republic, said he based his report, which
focused on Americans in Catholic Church government, on confidential sources that
have been "highly reliable" in the past.
Diocese officials said they are treating
the report of the appointment "as rumor and speculation."
Communications director Rob DeFrancesco
said, "We have no reason to believe it is true."
Phoenix's Auxiliary Bishop, Eduardo
Nevares, responded to the rumor, saying, "What a shock! I was with the bishop
today (Friday), and nothing was mentioned."
He said Olmsted traveled to Rome on
Saturday for a meeting.
The Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated Life oversees all religious orders in the world. All Catholic nuns
are part of an order, while about a third of Catholic priests belong to such a
group.
The congregation recently became prominent
in Catholic news for its role in recent Vatican efforts to reform the United
States' largest group of Catholic sisters, the Leadership Conference of Women
Religious.
Tosatti's report said Olmsted's approach
would be "far closer (than the previous secretary) to the sensibilities of
American bishops" in regards to reining in the women's group, which is
considered to be rebellious.
Olmsted has been rumored numerous times in
recent years to move on to larger, more important dioceses or to Rome, where he
spent 16 years working early in his career. He was appointed bishop of Phoenix
in late 2003, replacing Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien.
Olmsted has been a polarizing figure
during his tenure in Phoenix, winning the support of traditionalists and
conservatives, but alienating a significant number of liberal Catholics. His
decision to declare St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center no longer Catholic
received international attention.
The opening at the Vatican congregation
occurred when Archbishop Joseph Tobin was appointed in mid-October to become
archbishop of Indianapolis. Tobin had served the congregation for two
years.
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2012/12/09/20121209report-olmsted-get-vatican-appointment-new.html?nclick_check=1#ixzz2Eg4d2mXg
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