John R. Quinn
The Most Reverend John Raphael Quinn | |
---|---|
San Francisco, California | |
Nationality | American |
Previous post(s) | (1967–1971) |
Styles of John Raphael Quinn | ||
---|---|---|
Reference style | ||
Spoken style | Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Archbishop |
John Raphael Quinn (March 28, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of San Francisco from 1977 to 1995 and Archbishop of Oklahoma City from 1971 to 1977. He served as the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1977 to 1980.
Early life and ordination
Quinn was born in
Archbishop of Oklahoma City
On November 17, 1971, he was appointed Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa. When the diocese was split to form the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the
The website of that Archdiocese reports that "he revealed his priorities by his actions: emphasis on priestly vocations, desire for better pastoral care of Spanish-speaking Catholics, re-establishment of a Catholic newspaper, appointment of a full-time youth director, and a reorganization of Catholic charities."[3] As leader of the new Archdiocese, Quinn "fought against the death penalty, championed land reform and complained about extremism in the right-to-life movement."[4]
Archbishop of San Francisco
Quinn's appointment by Pope Paul VI in 1977 was received with local praise; for almost his entire episcopate in
Quinn recognized that the Archdiocese was too large for effective pastoral governance and helped devise plans for the creation of the
LGBT
Quinn reached out to gay Catholics as early as 1983.[8] He issued a document that asked priests to take concerns of gay people seriously.[8] In it, he said he wanted gay Catholics to find "a church where he or she will find acceptance, understanding, and love."[8] Priests were reminded in the letter that many gay Catholics saw their orientation as a positive.[8]
He supported the efforts of
AIDS
In 1985, Archbishop Quinn initiated the Catholic Church's first institutional response to the AIDS epidemic and when
Loma Prieta earthquake
In the 1990s, Quinn turned his attention to the needs of the archdiocese after the
Scandals, unusually early retirement
Quinn retired at 66, much earlier than the usual 75, after a "tumultuous 18-year reign". He had taken a leave of absence because of depression in 1987, but returned to lead the archdiocese effectively. There followed "a series of scandals during the past two years [1993-1995] involving child abuse and embezzlement by several San Francisco priests."[11] The archbishop received particularly harsh criticism for his lenient treatment of the pedophile priest Msgr. Patrick J. O'Shea, who was later removed from ministry and laicized. O'Shea was a prominent figure in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, often promoted by Quinn. From 1972 to 1982, for instance, O'Shea was Assistant Director for Vocations, tasked with recruiting young priests, and also director of the archdiocesan Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1971-1982).[12]
Views
Quinn became a regular contributor to the Jesuit magazine America[13] and wrote several books.
Irenicism and liberalism
Quinn was an
Óscar Romero
After the assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero in March 1980, Quinn issued a statement lauding the murdered prelate as "a voice for the poor and the oppressed." Quinn attended Romero's funeral.[14][15]
The Reform of the Papacy
Throughout his episcopate he maintained strong links with the Catholic Church in England; he visited there regularly. After his retirement as archbishop, he spent time at Campion Hall, Oxford, giving a talk in 1996 on "The Claims of the Primacy and the Costly Call to Unity". It was the first draft of his 1999 book, The Reform of the Papacy.[16]
This call for the reform of the Roman Curia and a reduction of its powers was interpreted by some as an attack on the papacy. Quinn repeatedly made it clear that he was not opposing the Vatican. In many ways, his writings prefigured the views of Pope Francis.[17][18]
Selected works
- The Reform of the Papacy (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1999).
- Revered and Reviled: A Re-Examination of Vatican Council I (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2017).
- Ever Ancient, Ever New: Structures of Communion in the Church (New York: Paulist Press, 2013).
See also
References
- ^ "Past Bishops of the San Diego Diocese". www.sdcatholic.org. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ProQuest 119246988. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "One Becomes Two: 1972-1977 Archbishop John R. Quinn". Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ a b Briggs, Kenneth A. (November 16, 1977). "A Spokesman For Catholics. John Raphael Quinn". The New York Times. p. A11.
- ^ "Archbishop John Quinn Obituary". Duggan's Serra Mortuary. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Grimes, William (July 6, 2017). "John R. Quinn, Archbishop and Liberal Voice in Church, Dies at 88". New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ "History".
- ^ a b c d e Michael O'Loughlin (December 21, 2019). "A gay Catholic Church in the Castro". Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church (Podcast). America. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
- ^ Nolte, Carl (June 22, 2017). "Archbishop John R. Quinn, Catholic progressive, dies in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ "Retired San Francisco Archbishop John R. Quinn Joining USD". Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ Lattin, Don (August 16, 1995). "Archbishop Quinn of S.F. To Resign / His successor is a conservative". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Msgr. Patrick J. O'Shea". BishopAccountability.org. 2004. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Archbishop John R. Quinn". America. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ "San Francisco archbishop's account of Oscar Romero's funeral". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. March 24, 2015.
- ^ Anderson, David E. (March 13, 1982). "U.S Catholic church and the politics of El Salvador". UPI. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
- ^ Quinn, John R. "The Claims of the Primacy and the Costly Call to Unity". EWTN. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ ""Impressed by Pope's Emphasis on "Synodality" in the Church"". La Stampa. July 22, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
- ^ "Archbishop John Quinn in Interview". www.praytellblog.com. June 12, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2016.