Ambassador Thomas Melady, IWP’s Senior Diplomat-in-Residence, gave a live online interview with the Washingtonpost.com on May 16 to discuss the resignation of the Archbishop of Washington.
A former US Ambassador to the Vatican, Professor Melady is frequently consulted on church issues, public policy and inter-religious dialogue.
Professor Melady, who had a good working relationship with the late Pope John Paul II, knows church leaders from around the world personally from his decades of charitable and diplomatic work.
In his Washingtonpost.com interview, he reflected on the accomplishments of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who resigned as Archbishop of Washington on reaching the church’s mandatory retirement age of 75.
He also commented on the qualities of incoming Archbishop Donald Weurl, currently Bishop of Pittsburgh, and what the change will mean.
Differing with those who try to apply a label to the incoming archbishop, Prof. Melady said, “I would not use the label of either conservative or liberal,” explaining that Donald Weurl “served for years in Rome. He knows the heart of the church and therefore I believe that he will follow the central authority of the church on these various teachings.”
Professor Melady predicted that Archbishop Weurl will fill Archbishop McCarrick’s shoes “as he is a strong and experienced leader who does very well in representing the church point of view, handles the public media, both television and radio very well; and I know here in Washington, he will easily continue on a national basis to represent the church at the Congress and at the office of the President.”