John Cardinal O'Connor

His Eminence John Cardinal O'Connor, (January 15, 1920 – May 3, 2000) was the eleventh bishop (eighth archbishop) of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of New York, serving from 1984 until his death in 2000.

Archbishop of New York

As Archbishop of New York, O'Connor was a complex figure. He proved very media-savvy with his effective use of the soundbite and his ability to charm journalists. Nevertheless he was a stern critic of New York's political leaders. He was also a close associate of President Ronald Reagan and was an outspoken critic of abortion and gay rights. He strongly opposed violence, the death penalty, and abhorred war, regularly questioning the unchecked military spending of the 1980s. He was vocal in his opposition to abortion, speaking out in the defence the rights of the unborn.

Related Topics:
Soundbite - Ronald Reagan - Abortion - Gay rights - 1980s

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As Archbishop he skillfully used the power and prestige of his office to uphold traditional Catholic doctrine in a frequently hostile world. Known as a close friend of the labor movement and trade unions, he earned the sobriquet: "The Patron Saint of the Working Man."

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Ecumenicalism

O'Connor was active in interfaith and ecumenical relations. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs called him, "a true friend and champion of Catholic-Jewish relations, but as a humanitarian who used the power of his pulpit to advocate for disadvantaged people throughout the world and in his own community." He strongly denounced anti-Semitism, and wrote a moving apology to Jewish leaders in New York for past harm done to the Jewish community.

Related Topics:
Ecumenical - Jewish Council for Public Affairs - Anti-Semitism

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Relations with the Gay Community

Cardinal O'Connor opposed every gay-related bill considered on the city and state level during the 16 years of his tenure as Archbishop of New York. He condemned proposed legislation backed by "Catholic" Mayor Rudolph Giuliani that would grant homosexuals, lesbians, and unmarried couples the same legal rights, including the right not to be discriminated against in housing accommodations, as married couples. He also strongly opposed Mayor Ed Koch's executive order requiring all social service agencies, including those run by the Church, to provide equal services to homosexuals. The cardinal refused on the grounds that it would make the Church appear to be sanctioning homosexual practices and lifestyle. He also prohibited a pro-homosexual group from meeting in New York parishes, while at the same time celebrating Mass with Father John Harvey's Courage, a ministry to homosexual men and women who seek to live by the Church's teachings on human sexuality. He supported and defended efforts of the Ancient Order of Hibernians to prevent groups representing gay Irish people from marching in New York's St. Patrick's Day parade.

Related Topics:
Rudolph Giuliani - Ed Koch - Mass - Ancient Order of Hibernians - St. Patrick's Day

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HIV and Contraception Controversy

The Cardinal opposed condom distribution as an AIDS-prevention measure, viewing it as being contrary to the Church's teaching that contraception is a sin. Some have criticized this position on the grounds that condoms distributed to gay men are not contraceptives, since gay men cannot conceive. O'Connor's response was that using an "evil act" was not justified by good intentions, and that the Church should not be seen as encouraging its members to perform sinful acts, regardless of the situation. He also agreed with the Church's position that the only sure way to prevent infection is sexual abstinence, as condoms at the time were shown to be only 90% effective against HIV transmission, and therefore claimed that any sexual activity by an HIV positive individual was a violation of the sixth commandment, Do not murder. HIV activist group ACT-UP was appalled by the Cardinal's apparent opinion that it was sinful for an HIV positive person to use a condom to prevent transmission of HIV to his HIV negative partner, an opinion they believe would translate directly into more deaths. This caused many of the confrontations between the group and the Cardinal.

Related Topics:
Contraception - Sexual abstinence - Sixth commandment - ACT-UP

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Early on in the AIDS epidemic, he approved the opening of a specialized AIDS unit to provide specialized medical care for the sick and dying in St. Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, the first of its kind in the state. He often nurtured and ministered to dying AIDS patients, many of whom were homosexual. Even though he refused to condone the actions of homosexuals (many of whom had invaded his St. Patrick's Cathedral to angrily interrupt services), he would not allow his moral differences to interfere with ministering to them. As USA Today reported, he "washed the hair and emptied bedpans of dying AIDS patients, some too sick to know who he was." Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo once said "No place in the country are they working more aggressively to help AIDS patients than in the archdiocese." O'Connor was one of the members of President Ronald Reagan's 1987 presidential commission on AIDS, serving alongside 12 other members with no expertise on the subject, including Richard DeVos and Penny Pullen. The commission was considered an embarrassment by medical authorities, and a fiasco by members of the Reagan Administration. O'Connor's tenure earned him the enmity of New York's gay community, which had become radicalized in the late 80s and early 90s by government inaction on AIDS. O'Connor was a favorite object of scorn and ridicule in ACT-UP's demonstrations. Michael Petrelis, a founding member of ACT UP, indicated that the group "came to St. Patrick's in 1989 to repel the church's destructive intrusion into public policies concerning AIDS, gay civil rights and women's reproductive rights."

Related Topics:
USA Today - Mario Cuomo - Ronald Reagan - 1987 presidential commission on AIDS - Richard DeVos - Penny Pullen - Reagan Administration

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Abortion

A staunch foe of abortion (he was characterized by Jerry Falwell as "a pro-life hero"), O'Connor also testified in favor of New York state legislation which sought to make human cloning research a crime punished by up to seven years of prison, presenting what the Daily News called "an apocalyptic vision" of clones as drones or slaves. The legislation was ultimately withdrawn.

Related Topics:
Abortion - Jerry Falwell - Pro-life

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Because of a rise in the number of people who were looking for help from demonic attack in 1992 the Cardinal appointed Father James J. LeBar as chief exorcist of the archdiocese of New York and three other priests as exorcists. When he reached the bishops' retirement age of 75 in January 1995, he submitted his resignation to the pope as required, but the pope did not accept it.

Related Topics:
1992 - James J. LeBar - 1995 - Pope

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