John Joseph O'Connor (January 15, 1920 – May 3, 2000) was an
American Catholic
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...
prelate who served as Archbishop of New York
The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encomp ...
from 1984 until his death in 2000, and was made a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
in 1985.
O'Connor previously served as a
U.S. Navy chaplain (1952 to 1979), including four years as chief of chaplains, as an auxiliary bishop of the
Military Vicariate of the United States (1979 to 1983), and as
Bishop of Scranton from 1983 to 1984.
Biography
Early life
John O'Connor was born in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
on January 15, 1920, the fourth of five children of Thomas J. O'Connor, and Dorothy Magdalene (née Gomple) O'Connor. Thomas was a painter and Dorothy was the daughter of Gustave Gumpel, a
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
butcher and
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
.
In 2014, it was discovered that Dorothy was baptized a Catholic at age 19 and that the couple wed one year later.
O'Connor attended public schools in Philadelphia until his junior year of high school, when he enrolled in
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys (West Boys, West Catholic, Burrs) was founded in 1916. A school building was later constructed at 49th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school closed its ...
. Having decided to become a priest, he then enrolled at
St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
Priesthood
After graduating from St. Charles, O'Connor was ordained a
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
for the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia on December 15, 1945, in Philadelphia by Auxiliary Bishop
Hugh L. Lamb. After his 1945 ordination, the archdiocese assigned O'Connor as a faculty member at St. James High School in
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...
.
During this seven-year period, O'Connor obtained a Master of Arts degree in advanced ethics from
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...
in Philadelphia and a Master of Arts degree in
clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...
from the
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...
in Washington, D.C.

O'Connor joined the
United States Navy Chaplain Corps
The United States Navy Chaplain Corps is the body of military chaplains of the United States Navy who are Officer (armed forces), commissioned naval officers. Their principal purpose is "to promote the spiritual, religious, moral, and persona ...
in 1952 during the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
.He was eventually named
rear admiral
Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral.
Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...
and
chief of chaplains of the Navy in 1975.He obtained approval for the establishment of the RP
eligious Program SpecialistEnlisted Rating, and oversaw the process of standing up this rating. The RP rating provided
chaplains
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a ho ...
with a dedicated enlisted community. The Vatican named O'Connor as an
honorary prelate of his holiness on October 27, 1966.
O'Connor received a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
in political science from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in Washington, D.C., where he studied under future
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
ambassador
Jeane Kirkpatrick
Jeane Duane Kirkpatrick (née Jordan; November 19, 1926December 7, 2006) was an American diplomat and political scientist who played a major role in the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration. An ardent anticommunist, she was a lon ...
. Kirkpatrick said of O'Connor that he was "... surely one of the two or three smartest graduate students I've ever had."
Auxiliary Bishop of the Military Vicariate US
On April 24, 1979,
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
appointed O'Connor as an
auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions.
...
of the Military Vicariate for the United States and
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...
of Cursola.
He was consecrated to the
episcopate
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
on May 27, 1979, at
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...
in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
by John Paul himself, with Cardinals
Duraisamy Lourdusamy and
Eduardo Somalo acting as co-consecrators.
Bishop of Scranton
On May 6, 1983, John Paul II named O'Connor as bishop of Scranton; he was installed in that position on June 29, 1983.
Archbishop of New York
On January 26, 1984, after the death of Cardinal
Terence Cooke
Terence James Cooke (March 1, 1921 – October 6, 1983) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of New York from 1968 until his death, quietly battling leukemia throughout his tenure. He was named a cardinal in 1969. Cooke pre ...
, O'Connor was appointed archbishop of New York and administrator of the Military Vicariate by John Paul II; O'Connor was installed on March 19, 1984.
O'Connor was elevated to
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
in the May 25, 1985, consistory, with the
titular church
In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...
of ''
Santi Giovanni e Paolo'' in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
(the traditional one for the
Archbishop of New York
The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encomp ...
from 1946 to 2009).
On December 10, 1989, 4,500 members of ACT UP and
Women's Health Action and Mobilization
Women's Health Action and Mobilization (WHAM!) was an American activist organization based in New York City, established in 1989 in response to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in '' Webster v. Reproductive Health Services'' that states may bar the u ...
(WHAM) demonstrated at
St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan to voice their opposition to O'Connor's positions on HIV/AIDS education, the distribution of condoms in public schools, and
abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
for women. Police arrested 43 protestors from inside the cathedral.
Throughout his tenure as archbishop of New York, Cardinal O'Connor advocated on behalf of many groups whom he believed to be downtrodden, but there was no group that he advocated for more strongly than the unborn. To that end, O'Connor started a religious order of women known as the Sisters of Life, which still exists today.
O'Connor had a close relationship with Pope John Paul II, and both leaders were very similar in their emphasis, including a focus on the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. When naming O'Connor the Archbishop of New York in 1984, the pope is purported to have said "I want someone like myself in New York". In 1995, for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, Pope Saint John Paul II visited New York and while there, O'Connor hosted him at Saint Patrick's Cathedral for a rosary service on October 7, 1995 for which O'Connor appointed Joseph Polchinski as one of the servers.
Illness and death
When O'Connor reached the retirement age for bishops of 75 years in January 1995, he submitted his resignation to Pope John Paul II as required by
canon law
Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...
. However the pope did not accept the resignation, and O'Connor continued to serve as Archbishop of New York until his death.
O'Connor was diagnosed in 1999 with a
brain tumor
A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...
, and died in the archbishop's residence in Manhattan on May 3, 2000. He was interred in the crypt beneath the main altar of
St. Patrick's Cathedral. His funeral was presided over by Cardinal Secretary of State
Angelo Sodano
Angelo Raffaele Sodano (23 November 1927 – 27 May 2022) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Dean of the College of Cardinals from 2005 to 2019 and previously as the Cardinal Secretary of State from 1991 to 2006; S ...
.
At O'Connor's request, Cardinal
Bernard F. Law delivered the
homily
A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ...
and Cardinal
William W. Baum the eulogy. Attendees at O'Connor's funeral included:
* Secretary-General of the United Nations
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
* US president
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, First Lady
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
and Vice President
Al Gore
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
* Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...
* former president
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
and Texas governor
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
* New York governor
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984 ...
* New York City mayor
Rudolph Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani ( , ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and disbarred lawyer who served as the 107th mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General fr ...
, former New York City mayors
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.
Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...
and
David Dinkins
David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993.
Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marine Associa ...
.
Legacy
* The John Cardinal O'Connor Pavilion in the Bronx, a residence for retired priests, opened in 2003.
* The John Cardinal O'Connor School in
Irvington, New York
Irvington, sometimes known as Irvington-on-Hudson, is a suburban Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village of the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Greenburgh, New York, Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, Un ...
, for students with
learning differences
Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficulty ...
, opened in 2009.
* The
Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life
The Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life, also known simply as the O'Connor Conference (OCC), is the largest student-run Anti-abortion movements, pro-life conference in the United States. The conference was founded by Georgetown University under ...
is held annually at Georgetown University.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called O'Connor "a familiar and towering presence, a leader whose views and personality were forcefully injected into the great civic debates of his time, a man who considered himself a conciliator, but who never hesitated to be a combatant", and one of the Catholic Church's "most powerful symbols on moral and political issues."
According to New York City Mayor
Ed Koch
Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989.
Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...
: "Cardinal O'Connor was a great man, but he was like
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
. He was incapable of saving money."
Awards
* Jackie Robinson Empire State Medal of Freedom – December 21, 2000
*
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...
– March 7, 2000
Viewpoints
Human life
O'Connor was a forceful opponent of abortion, human cloning,
capital punishment
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...
, human trafficking, and unjust war.
* O'Connor in 1996 assailed what he called the "horror of
euthanasia
Euthanasia (from : + ) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.
Different countries have different Legality of euthanasia, euthanasia laws. The British House of Lords Select committee (United Kingdom), se ...
", asking rhetorically, "What makes us think that permitted lawful suicide will not become obligated suicide?"
* In 2000, O'Connor called for a "major overhaul" of the punitive
Rockefeller drug laws in New York State, which he believed produced "grave injustices".
US foreign policy
* In the 1980s, O'Connor condemned US support for
counterrevolutionary guerrilla forces in
Central America
Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, opposed the U.S.
mining of the waters off Nicaragua, questioned government spending on new weapons systems, and preached caution in regard to American military actions abroad.
* In 1998, O'Connor questioned whether the United States'
cruise missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan were morally justifiable.
* In 1999, during the
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
, O'Connor repeatedly challenged the morality of
NATO's bombing campaign of Yugoslavia, suggesting that it did not meet the Catholic Church's criteria for a
just war. At one point, he asked, "Does the relentless bombing of Yugoslavia prove the power of the Western world or its weakness?"
* In 1998. O'Connor insisted that the traditional just war principles must be applied to evaluate the morality of military responses to
unconventional warfare
Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces or actions such as subversion, diversion, sabotage, espionage, biowarfare, sanctions, propaga ...
and
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
.
Organized labor
In 1984,
SEIU 1199, the largest health care workers union in New York City, went on strike against the League of Voluntary Hospitals, of which the archdiocesan hospitals were members. O'Connor strongly criticized the League for threatening to fire striking union members. He called it "
strikebreaking
A strikebreaker (sometimes pejoratively called a scab, blackleg, bootlicker, blackguard or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike action, strike. Strikebreakers may be current employees (trade union, union members or not), or ...
" and vowed that no Catholic hospital would participate in such an action .
After a year of stalled negotiations, O'Connor threatened to make a separate agreement with the SEIU 1199 "that gives justice to the workers".
In a
Labor Day
Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
homily at St. Patrick's in 1986, O'Connor said:
" many of our freedoms in this country, so much of the building up of society, is precisely attributable to the union movement, a movement that I personally will defend despite the weakness of some of its members, despite the corruption with which we are all familiar that pervades all society, a movement that I personally will defend with my life."
In 1987, the
television broadcast employees' union went on strike against the
National Broadcasting Company
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
(NBC). At one point, a non-union crew from NBC appeared at O'Connor's residence to cover a
press conference
A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...
. O'Connor declined to admit them, directing his secretary to "tell them they're not invited."
Following O'Connor's death in 2002 , SEIU 1199 called him "the patron saint of working people". It described his support for low-wage and other workers, his efforts in helping the limousine drivers unionize, his help in mediating a labor strike at
''The Daily News'', and his pushing for fringe benefits for
minimum-wage
A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation by the end of the 20th century. Be ...
home health care workers.
Relations with Jewish community
* In 1987,
Nobel Laureate
Elie Wiesel
Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates#1980, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored Elie Wiesel bibliogra ...
called O'Connor, "a good Christian" and a man "who understands our pain."
* O'Connor in 1996 strongly denounced
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
, declaring that one "cannot be a faithful Christian and an anti-Semite. They are incompatible, because anti-Semitism is a sin." He wrote an apology to Jewish leaders in New York City for past harm committed by the Catholic Church to the Jewish community.
* In 1998, O'Connor criticized the failure of
Swiss banks to compensate Jewish
Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
victims whose stolen assets had been deposited in Switzerland during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by German Nazi leaders. He called it "a human rights issue, an issue of the human race." Even when disagreeing with him over political questions, Jewish leaders acknowledged that O'Connor was "a friend, a powerful voice against anti-Semitism".
* The
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an American Jewish progressive and advocacy group.
JCPA was originally founded in 1944 by the Council of Jewish Federations as the umbrella organization for local Jewish advocacy arms known as ...
in 2000 called O'Connor "a true friend and champion of Catholic–Jewish relations,
nda
humanitarian
Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...
who used the power of his pulpit to advocate for disadvantaged people throughout the world and in his own community."
Relations with the LGBT community
HIV/AIDS
In the early 1980s, O'Connor opened a specialized HIV/AIDS medical unit in
St. Clare's Hospital in Manhattan, the first of its kind in the state.
ACT UP
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...
(AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) protested in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1987, holding placards such as "Cardinal O'Connor Loves Gay People ... If They Are Dying of AIDS."
O'Connor made an effort to minister to 1,000 people dying of
HIV/AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
and their families,
following up on other HIV/AIDS patients.
He visited
Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center
Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers (also known as Saint Vincent's or SVCMC) was a healthcare system in New York City, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan.
St. Vincent's was founded in 1849 and was a majo ...
, where he cleaned the sores and emptied the bedpans of more than 1,100 patients. According to reports, O'Connor was popular with the Saint Vincent's patients, many of whom did not know he was the archbishop, and was supportive of other priests who ministered to gay men and others with HIV/AIDS.
In 1987, US president
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
appointed O'Connor to the
President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic The President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic was a commission formed by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to investigate the AIDS pandemic. It is also known as the Watkins Commission for James D. Watkins, its chairman when the commission issued its ...
, also known as the Watkins Commission. O'Connor served with 12 other members, few of whom were HIV/AIDS experts.
HIV/AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
researchers and activists initially criticized the commission members as lacking expertise on the disease and as being in disarray. The commission report in 1988 called for anti-bias laws to protect
HIV-positive
The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
patients, on-demand treatment for those with
substance abuse
Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
problems, and the speeding of HIV/AIDS-related research. ''The
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' praised the commission's "remarkable strides" and its proposed
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
2 billion campaign against HIV/AIDS among drug users.
Hate crimes against LGBTQ
O'Connor led the 1990 funeral Mass at St. Joseph's Church in Staten Island for
James Zappalorti, a murdered gay man. O'Connor later endorsed a
statewide hate crime law that included crimes motivated by
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
, which passed shortly after his own death in 2000.
Job discrimination against LGBTQ
O'Connor actively opposed an attempt by the City of New York to outlaw sexual discrimination by its contractors. In 1980, Mayor Ed Koch issued Executive Order 50, which required all city contractors, including religious entities, to provide services on a non-discriminatory basis with respect to race, creed, age, sex, handicap, as well as "sexual orientation or preference".
When the city warned
the Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...
that its contracts for child care services would be canceled if it failed to comply, the archdiocese threatened to cancel its contracts if given the same warning. O'Connor maintained that the executive order would cause the Catholic Church to appear to condone homosexual activity.
Writing in ''
Catholic New York'' in January 1985, O'Connor characterized the order as "an exceedingly dangerous precedent
hat wouldinvite unacceptable governmental intrusion into and excessive entanglement with the Church's conducting of its own internal affairs." Drawing the traditional Catholic distinction between homosexual "inclinations" and "behavior", he stated that "we do not believe that homosexual behavior ... should be elevated to a protected category."
We do not believe that religious agencies should be required to employ those engaging in or advocating homosexual behavior. We are willing to consider on a case-by-case basis the employment of individuals who have engaged in or may at some future time engage in homosexual behavior. We approach those who have engaged in or may engage in what the Church considers illicit heterosexual behavior the same way. ...We believe, however, that only a religious agency itself can properly determine the requirements of any particular job within that agency, and whether or not a particular individual meets or is reasonably likely to meet such requirements.
After a protracted legal battle, the
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...
in 1986 upheld lower court decisions striking down Executive Order 50.
O'Connor
opposed city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and state legislation guaranteeing LGBTQ civil rights, including legislation prohibiting discrimination based upon
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
in housing, public accommodations and employment.
St. Patrick's Day parade and LGBTQ participation
O'Connor supported the 1993 decision by the
Ancient Order of Hibernians
The Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH; ) is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be male, Catholic, and either born in Ireland or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is in the United States, where it was founded in New Yo ...
, which operated the
St. Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chri ...
parade in Manhattan, to bar the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization from marching under its own banner. The Hibernians argued that the
First Amendment of the US Constitution protected their decision and that they could not be compelled to admit a group whose beliefs conflicted with theirs. The city subsequently denied the Hibernians a permit for the parade. However, in 1993, a
federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States
A U.S. federal judge is appointed by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Arti ...
in New York held that the city's permit denial was "patently
unconstitutional
In constitutional law, constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applic ...
" because the parade was private, not public, and constituted "a pristine form of speech" as to which the parade sponsor had a
right to control the content and tone.
In 1987, O'Connor prohibited
DignityUSA, an organization of LGBTQ Catholics, from holding Masses in parishes in the archdiocese.
After eight years of protests by the group, O'Connor started meeting with DignityUSA twice a year.
Condom use for HIV/AIDS prevention
O'Connor opposed condom distribution as an HIV/AIDS-prevention measure. He viewed condom use as contravening the Catholic Church's teaching that
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
is immoral and its use a sin. O'Connor rejected the argument that
condom
A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...
s distributed to gay men were not contraceptives. O'Connor's response was that using an "evil act" was not justified by good intentions, and that the church should not be seen as
encouraging sinful acts among others (other fertile heterosexual couples who might wrongly interpret his narrow support as license for their own contraception).
O'Connor in 1993 stated that
sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from sexual activity for reasons medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical, moral, religious or other. It is a part of chastity. Celibacy is sexual abstinence general ...
is a sure way to prevent HIV/AIDs infection.
He claimed condoms were only 50% effective against
HIV transmission
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preventable disease. It can ...
. HIV activist group
ACT UP
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international, grassroots political group working to end the AIDS pandemic. The group works to improve the lives of people with AIDS through direct action, medical research, treatment and advocacy, ...
(AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) criticized the cardinal's opinion, leading to confrontations between the group and O'Connor.
Theodore McCarrick
In April 1986, O'Connor strongly endorsed the appointment of
Theodore McCarrick
Theodore Edgar McCarrick (July 7, 1930 – April 3, 2025) was an American Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal who was Archbishop of Newark from 1986 to 2000 and Archbishop of Washington from 2001 to 2006. In 2019, McCarrick was defrocked by Po ...
, then bishop of the
Diocese of Metuchen, as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Newark
The Archdiocese of Newark () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern New Jersey in the United States.
The mother church of the archdiocese is the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Hea ...
. However, In 1992 and 1993, O'Connor received several anonymous letters accusing McCarrick of sexually abusing seminarians, which he sent copies of to McCarrick. In 1994, before a papal visit by Pope John Paul II to the United States, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal
Agostino Cacciavillan
Agostino Cacciavillan (14 August 1926 – 5 March 2022) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church, and a cardinal since 2001. He worked in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1959 to 1998; he was given the titles of archbishop and nu ...
, became concerned about the pope visiting Newark, as he had heard rumors that McCarrick had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior in Newark with seminarians. O'Connor conducted an investigation for Cacciavillan and concluded that there were "no impediments" to visiting that city.
In October 1996, when two psychiatrists judged that a priest's charge of sexual abuse by McCarrick was credible, O'Connor remained skeptical. That same month, however, he intervened to prevent a priest "too closely identified" with McCarrick from becoming an auxiliary bishop. O'Connor cited "a rather unsettled climate of opinion about certain issues" in Newark.
In October 1999, when John Paul II was considering transferring McCarrick to a more important archdiocese, O'Connor wrote a letter to the apostolic nuncio to the U.S. and the
Congregation for Bishops
The Dicastery for Bishops, formerly named Congregation for Bishops (), is the department of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church that oversees the selection of most new bishops. Its proposals require papal approval to take effect, but are usu ...
. It summarized the charges against McCarrick, especially his repeatedly arrangement of seminarians and other men to share his bed, and concluded: "I regret that I would have to recommend very strongly against such promotion." According to reports, the pope read the letter.
McCarrick learned about O'Connor's letter from contacts in the Curia. In August 2000, several months after O'Connor's death, McCarrick sent a rebuttal to John Paul II, which allegedly convinced the pope to appoint him archbishop of Washington. McCarrick resigned from the
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
in 2018, and was
defrocked
Defrocking, unfrocking, degradation, or laicization of clergy is the removal of their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry. It may be grounded on criminal convictions, disciplinary problems, or disagreements over doctrine or ...
in 2019.
References
Cited works
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Further reading
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* Petro, Anthony, ''After the Wrath of God: AIDS, Sexuality, and American Religion'' (Oxford University Press, 2015)
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, John Joseph
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