Robert Joseph Cunningham (born June 18, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse in Upstate New York from 2009 to 2019. He previously served as bishop of the

Diocese of Ogdensburg The Diocese of Ogdensburg ( la, Dioecesis Ogdensburgensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New York. It was founded on February 15, 1872. It comprises the entirety of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jeff ...

in Northern New York from 2004 to 2009.

Biography

Early life and education

Robert Cunningham was born on June 18, 1943, in Buffalo, New York to Cecil and Grace Cunningham; he has a brother, Patrick, and a sister, Eileen. He attended St. John the Baptist Parish School and the Diocesan Preparatory Seminary, then entered St. John Vianney Seminary in East Aurora, New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts and

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degrees from St. John Vianney.

Ordination and ministry

Cunningham was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Bernard McLaughlin on May 24, 1969, in St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo. After his ordination, Cunningham was assigned as associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Kenmore, New York. In 1972, he was named assistant pastor at his home parish of St. John the Baptist, also in Kenmore. Cunningham became private secretary in 1974 to Bishop Edward Head and assistant

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of Buffalo in 1974. Cunningham was sent to the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

School of Canon Law The School of Canon Law is the only faculty of Catholic canon law in the United States. It is one of the twelve schools at The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C.Licentiate in Canon Law Licentiate may refer to: *Licentiate (degree), a degree below a PhD granted by universities in some countries; may indicate a medical doctor qualification in the UK and other countries. Religion *Licentiate of Canon Law, Roman Catholic Church * L ...

in 1978. After returning to Buffalo, Cunningham was appointed as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the marriage tribunal and vice-chancellor of the diocese. He was raised by the Vatican to the rank of monsignor in 1984, then appointed full chancellor (1985) and vicar general (1986) by the bishop.

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

awarded Cunningham an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 1991. In 1994, Bishop Head received a complaint from a man who claimed that his son had been sodomized by Donald W. Becker, a diocese priest. Becker had a previous history of sexual abuse complaints, yet was still assigned to a parish. As vicar general, Cunningham interviewed Becker, who said that he couldn't remember anything, but if he had been intoxicated, something could have happened. The parent did not request any further action and Cunningham dropped the case. In 2002, after Becker resigned due to poor health, Cunningham received another sexual abuse complaint against him soon after his resignation, which Cunningham did not investigate. In January 2002, Cunningham was named pastor of St. Louis Parish in Buffalo. He served as administrator of the diocesan

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

from 2003 to 2004. Cunningham had board memberships for Christ the King Seminary,

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

, Baker Victory Services in Buffalo, and the Cantalician Center for Learning in Depew, New York. A charter member of the Kenmore Mercy Hospital Foundation Board, he was given the Sister Mary Mechtilde Memorial Award by the board in 2004.

Bishop of Ogdensburg

On March 9, 2004, Cunningham was appointed the as the thirteenth Bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on May 18 2004 from Cardinal Edward Egan, with Archbishop Henry J. Mansell and Bishop Gerald Barbarito serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

, at St. Mary's Cathedral in Ogdensburg. In 2007, Cunningham was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from

St. John's University St John's University may refer to: *St. John's University (New York City) **St. John's University School of Law **St. John's University (Italy) - Overseas Campus *College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University, St. Joseph, Minnesota and Col ...

in Staten Island, New York. He also served on the board of Wadhams Hall Seminary College in Ogdensburg.

Bishop of Syracuse

On April 21, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Cunningham as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse. He was installed on May 26, 2009. In a 2011 deposition, Cunningham made statements about the victims of sex abuse by priests in the Diocese of Syracuse , implying that the victims were "culpable" and "accomplices". In 2015, when those statements became public, Cunningham said he wished he phrased his response differently.

"It is obvious that my choice of words should have been better. Bottom line is, I cannot go back and change my words but I can assure you that I did not believe the individual involved in the case was at fault." He also repeatedly reiterated that he doesn't believe children are responsible for being abused.

On June 18, 2018, Cunningham submitted his resignation upon reaching the age of 75. Pope Francis accepted his resignation on June 4, 2019. Cunningham served as apostolic administrator of the diocese until Father

Douglas Lucia Douglas John Lucia (born March 17, 1963) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse in New York State since 2019. Biography Douglas Lucia was born on March 17, 1963, in Plattsb ...

was consecrated a bishop on August 8, 2019.

References

External links

Diocese of Syracuse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Robert Joseph 1943 births Living people Religious leaders from Buffalo, New York 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholic University of America alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Ogdensburg Roman Catholic bishops of Syracuse Catholic University of America School of Canon Law alumni