Archbishop Chaput to Lead Philadelphia Archdiocese

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Archbishop Charles Chaput

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Charles Chaput to succeed Cardinal Justin Rigali as Archbishop of Philadelphia on Tuesday. Until the new appointment, Archbishop Chaput had been the head of the Archdiocese of Denver, Colorado. The 66 year-old Archbishop Chaput is part Native American and the first Native American U.S. archbishop. He entered the Capuchin Order of Friars Minor in 1965 and made his perpetual vows in 1968, receiving ordination to the priesthood in 1970. After a tenure as minister of the Capuchin province of Mid-America, he was elected bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota - a position in which he served for nearly a decade, before being called to Denver in 1997.


A best-selling author and outspoken defender of the Church’s place in public life, the newly-appointed Archbishop Chaput is also deeply concerned with the Church’s pastoral mission. “The Church has done a very poor job of passing on the authentic Apostolic faith to its people,” he says. “We need to get better,” at forming the lay faithful especially, “we need to get better very soon.” Archbishop Chaput comes to Philadelphia during a time of difficulty for the Archdiocese, which is struggling to deal with revelations of clerical sexual abuse that began to emerge in February of this year.