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Bishop David Zubik, 57, the Green Bay, Wis., bishop since 2003, said he intends to encourage such relationships in the diocese, considered “one of the beacons of light” in the U.S. Catholic Church, and follow the example of his predecessor, Donald W. Wuerl.
The Vatican announced Wednesday that Zubik had been named bishop of Pittsburgh by Pope Benedict XVI. Zubik is a former auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh and a native of Ambridge, a town about 20 miles northwest of the city. He is the fifth clergyman from the area to be named bishop of the diocese.
“As I stand before all of you here today with my heart racing and my knees knocking, I am both stunned and excited,” he told reporters and about 75 supporters at the diocese’s offices in downtown Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh has one of the largest Catholic dioceses in the country, with more than 760,000 parishioners who make up nearly 40 percent of the population in a six-county area.
The diocese has “great relationships” with people of other faiths and members of industry and government, Zubik said.
“I think those kinds of conversations that happen between all those various institutions are important for not only helping the church to grow, but helping us to grow as a society,” he said.
Zubik, who worked in various positions under Wuerl for 16 years, said the previous bishop helped build those relationships and raise the church’s profile in the community. “I intend to continue that,” he said.
“These are huge shoes to fill,” he said of Wuerl, who led the Pittsburgh Diocese for 18 years before becoming archbishop of Washington, D.C., last year.
Wuerl, who is also from the Pittsburgh area, said he was pleased with the appointment.
“Bishop Zubik knows, loves and has served the Church of Pittsburgh, and has walked with it through all its many moments of challenge and development for the past 20 years,” he was quoted as saying in a diocese statement.
Zubik said he did not expect to be asked to return to Pittsburgh after less than four years in Green Bay, where he was appointed bishop in October 2003 by the late Pope John Paul II.
He said he has been honored to serve the people of Green Bay but looks forward to returning to Pittsburgh. He is scheduled to be installed at Saint Paul Cathedral in the city’s Oakland neighborhood on Sept. 28.
A vocal opponent of the death penalty and a supporter of immigration reform, Zubik has called on Catholics to recall the church’s teachings on abortion and same-sex marriage when voting.
He has publicly apologized to victims of sexual assault, holding a “prayer service of apology” last fall for those hurt by members of the clergy.
Asked about a recent $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and about 500 alleged victims of clergy sex abuse, Zubik said the church has been trying to create safe environments for parishioners.
“Pittsburgh has an outstanding reputation of doing precisely that,” he said Wednesday. “And I can tell you that Green Bay has an excellent reputation as well.”
“One of the things the church has a responsibility of doing is responding to people who have in fact been victims,” Zubik added.
But an advocacy group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, accused Zubik of shielding Green Bay’s previous bishop, Robert Banks, who became embroiled in the sex abuse scandal in Boston, where he was auxiliary bishop under Cardinal Bernard Law.
Abuse victims in Boston accused Banks of being part of a pattern of officials reassigning priests to different parishes despite complaints of sex abuse. Banks, now retired, has admitted mistakes were made and apologized publicly.
Christian leaders across Pennsylvania, meanwhile, welcomed Zubik’s appointment.
The Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania said in a statement that Zubik “shared the passion for ecumenism of his mentor bishops of the diocese.”
Cardinal Justin Rigali, a former Vatican diplomat who is now archbishop of Philadelphia, said he was certain Zubik “will be a compassionate and wise shepherd to the Catholic faithful of Pittsburgh.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato also issued statements of support.
Rita Flaherty, ministerial assistance coordinator for the diocese, said, “We’re all thrilled. It’s wonderful to have him back.
“He’s spiritual, he’s a hard worker, he’s sensitive and compassionate,” she said. “I think he’s everything that everybody could hope for in the bishop. So we’re all excited to have him home.”
