BOSTON (WHDH) – Longtime Cardinal Seán O’Malley formally introduced Bishop Richard Henning Monday as his successor as the Archbishop of Boston, praising Henning as a “joyful pastor who seeks to serve Christ and his people.”
O’Malley and Henning spoke from the archdiocese’s Pastoral Center in Braintree after Pope Francis named Henning as Boston’s next archbishop.
Henning, 59, will be the 10th bishop and seventh archbishop of Boston. Currently the Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, he is set to be installed in Boston on Oct. 31.
“The arrival of a new archbishop is always a time of renewal and hope,” O’Malley said Monday. “To the people of the archdiocese, Bishop Henning brings the heart of a pastor in his new role.”
O’Malley has served in Boston since 2003. Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the role of cardinal in 2006.
O’Malley is now set to retire five years after he reached the typical retirement age for Catholic officials of 75. Though he filed his resignation in 2019, O’Malley remained in his role in recent years at the request of Pope Francis.
“My 20 years in Boston have been challenging and wonderful years in many respects,” O’Malley said.
“Despite all the challenges that we have, I am filled with hope,” he continued.
O’Malley served as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands beginning in 1984. He eventually became bishop of Fall River in 1992, serving in that role for 10 years.
O’Malley moved to Palm Beach, Fla. to serve as Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in 2002 but returned to Massachusetts less than a year later after the clergy abuse scandal that led to the resignation of former Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law.
O’Malley marked his 40th anniversary as a bishop on Friday and reflected on his decades of service Monday.
“In 40 years, there’s been a lot of changes, not just in the church, but in the world,” he said. “We have many, many…