Thomas Joseph O'Brien (born November 29, 1935) is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of the Phoenix from 1982 to 2003, and is now emeritus of the bishop. He was the first American Catholic bishop to be convicted of a crime.
Video Thomas J. O'Brien (bishop)
Initial life and service
O'Brien was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and attended St. Seminary. Meinrad. Feeling a call to the priesthood from an early age, he was ordained to the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, on May 7, 1961. He then served as associate minister at Immaculate Conception Church in Douglas.
In 1964, O'Brien was transferred to the territory that later became the Phoenix diocese, as associate pastor of St. John's Church. Theresa and then at St. Gregory. He was named pastor of St. Christ Church. Catherine in Phoenix in 1979, and also served as vicar general for the diocese.
Maps Thomas J. O'Brien (bishop)
Bishop of Phoenix
On November 9, 1981, O'Brien was appointed the third Episcopal Bishop by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1982 from John Paul II himself, with Archbishop Eduardo MartÃÆ'nez Somalo and Lucas Moreira Neves, OP, serving as co-consecrators, in Rome. He was officially installed as Bishop of the Phoenix on January 18 next, and was chosen as his episcopal motto, "To Build the Body of Christ."
During his tenure, O'Brien earned a reputation as a successful fundraiser, school builder, and advocate for the poor. He also played a role in persuading John Paul II and Mother Teresa to make their respective visits to Phoenix in 1987 and 1989. In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he previously chaired the Marriage and Family Committee.
Sexual harassment scandal
In 2002, Maricopa District Attorney began a grand jury investigation on allegations of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Phoenix diocese. Bishop O'Brien was the target of the investigation for allegedly covering allegations against other priests. The prosecution ended when the bishop admitted that he had protected the rough priests. O'Brien agreed to surrender his authority over the diocesan sexual harassment policy in exchange for immunity from the indictment for obstruction of justice. On August 4, 2017, it was announced that a civil lawsuit was filed against O'Brien for alleging that he sexually harassed a boy on several occasions in parishes in Phoenix and Goodyear from 1977 to 1982.
hit-and-run accident
On June 14, 2003, less than two weeks after the signing of a sexual harassment agreement with the prosecutor, O'Brien beat and killed Jim Reed, 43, in a hit-and-run car accident. A driver behind O'Brien reports O'Brien's license plate to the police. Police also found curves in sepatbor and cracks in the windshield of the bisnaker on Buick Park Avenue. O'Brien later claimed he did not report the accident because he thought he had hit a dog, cat, or rock. O'Brien was arrested for leaving the crash site and released on a $ 45,000 bond. He resigned as Bishop on June 18, 2003.
On February 17, 2004, O'Brien was found guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal accident after a trial of three and a half weeks. On March 26, 2004, he was sentenced to four years probation and 1,000 hours of community service, and was required to submit his driver's license for five years. O'Brien then requested travel time to be reduced from 1,000 hours and for flexibility in the number of hours he had to serve each month.
Catholic Community Foundations Awards
In November 2011, the Phoenix Catholic Community Foundation announced that they gave O'Brien the honorary award of his religion. When news of the award in question became public, there was controversy over the decision. A few days later, O'Brien dismissed the award, and the foundation, stating that it did not anticipate a disastrous public reaction, wrote an apology to the public.
See also
References
External links
- Official Roman Catholic Roman Diocese Site
Episcopal Success
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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