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 The Diocese of Syracuse is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in New York, United States. The of Syracuse includes the territory of seven counties of Central and South Central New York State: Broome, Chena ...

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

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 Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

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 East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 5,998 per the 2020 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metr ...

. He received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

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 Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

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 A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at Blessed Sacrament Parish in

Kenmore, New York Kenmore is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 15,423 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. Kenmore is in the south part of the town of Tonawanda, and together with th ...

. In 1972, he was named assistant pastor at his home

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...

and vice-chancellor of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

. He was raised by the Vatican to the rank of

monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

in 1984, then appointed full chancellor (1985) and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

(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 An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in humane letters in 1991. In 1994, Bishop Head received a complaint from a man who claimed that his son had been

sodomized Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally Anal sex, anal or oral sex between people, or Human sexual activity, sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal (Zoophilia, bestiality), but it may also mean any non-Reproduction, ...

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 Depew () is a village (New York), village in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York. The population was 15,303 at the time of the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The village is nam ...

. 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 Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on May 18 2004 from Cardinal

Edward Egan Edward Michael Egan (April 2, 1932 – March 5, 2015) was an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport in Connecticut from 1988 to 2000 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York i ...

, with Archbishop

Henry J. Mansell Henry Joseph Mansell (born October 10, 1937) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut from the fourth Archbishop of Hartford from 2004 to 2013. Mansell previous ...

and Bishop

Gerald Barbarito Gerald Michael Barbarito (born January 4, 1950) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida since August 28, 2003. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Ogde ...

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 in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

. He also served on the board of Wadhams Hall Seminary College in Ogdensburg.

Bishop of Syracuse

On April 21, 2009,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

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 Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...

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 Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

accepted his resignation on June 4, 2019. Cunningham served as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the diocese until Father Douglas Lucia 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