Catholic League president William Donohue spoke to the news that Bishop Edward M. Egan has been appointed the new Archbishop of New York:
“Bishop Egan is the right person for the right job in the right city. His resume is a knockout of achievements and his persona is a perfect fit for New York.
“In the 1960s, he earned a doctorate in Canon Law Summa Cum Laudefrom the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. In the 1970s, he was professor of Canon Law at his alma mater, and in the 1980s he was one of six canon law specialists chosen by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, to revise the Code of Canon Law.
“While in Chicago in the 1960s, Bishop Egan served as secretary of the Archdiocesan Commissions on Ecumenism and Human Relations and was a member of several interfaith and ecumenical boards. This experience will serve him well in New York.
“Bishop Egan’s commitment to quality parochial education was evident in his role as Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar for Education of the Archdiocese of New York between 1985 and 1988. He also challenged those who sought to upend the teaching of traditional moral values in the sex education curriculum in the public schools.
“His dedication to the interests of the needy needs no defense: while Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Bishop Egan established the Inner-City Foundation for Charity and Education, providing food, housing, medicine and education to the poor. His outreach to the Hispanic and Haitian communities during his tenure in Bridgeport resulted in the founding of apostolates to serve their interests. He also founded a seminary, Saint John Fisher.
“Perhaps most of all, Bishop Egan is an affable person who is not afraid to engage the culture. He will be great for New York and the Catholic Church.”
