There are many challenges facing the Catholic Church today, challenges which the new pope will have to address.
What are the most important challenges? If we only go by secular media reports, the key issues would seem to be the sexual abuse scandal, ordination of women, and same-sex marriage. These are some of the so-called “hot button” issues, but are they the major challenges facing the Church?
When I think of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, I picture him smiling. Of course, Cardinal Dolan can be as serious as any priest, bishop, or cardinal can be, but it’s his smile that most people remember.
Why does he smile so much? Obviously he is a happy person and he loves people. But there’s more to it than that.
My encounters with the new cardinal date back to his time in Milwaukee. I met him soon after he started his ministry as archbishop there at a meeting of the staffs of the three Catholic Herald diocesan newspapers. I noticed right away that the new archbishop’s smile lit up the room.
