O'Connor, John Joseph Cardinal

▪ 2001

      American prelate (b. Jan. 15, 1920, Philadelphia, Pa.—d. May 3, 2000, New York, N.Y.), served as the archbishop of New York from 1984 until his death and was regarded as the Vatican's leading spokesman in the U.S. An ardent traditionalist, he was an outspoken defender of Roman Catholic teaching on sexual and moral ethics; his staunch opposition to abortion often brought him into conflict with prominent politicians. Born into a working-class family, O'Connor resolved early in life to become a priest and studied at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He was ordained in 1945 and later earned a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. In 1952 he joined the U.S. Navy as a military chaplain, ministering to soldiers in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He published a book, A Chaplain Looks at Vietnam, in 1968 and eventually rose to become the U.S. Navy's chief of chaplains before retiring from the military—with the rank of rear admiral—in 1979. He served (1979–83) as auxiliary bishop of New York to Terence Cardinal Cooke before being appointed bishop of Scranton, Pa., in May 1983. In January 1984 he was appointed archbishop of New York by Pope John Paul II and was elevated to cardinal a year later. O'Connor began to make frequent public pronouncements outlining his conservative views and was soon at loggerheads with politicians who supported abortion rights, such as New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and New York City Mayor Ed Koch. In 1990 the cardinal provoked an outcry when he stated that Catholics who were in favour of abortion should be excommunicated. Although O'Connor's conservative positions were often criticized by gay and women's rights lobbies as well as by pro-choice activists, he was applauded in liberal circles for his steadfast opposition to the death penalty, immigration controls, and cuts in welfare programs. He also won support for advocating workers' rights, leading efforts toward Catholic-Jewish reconciliation, and reaching out to African Americans. Despite the public controversies he was involved in, O'Connor was known as cheerful and outgoing, and he developed friendships with many of his former adversaries, including Koch, with whom he wrote a popular book, His Eminence and Hizzoner (1989). In March 2000 O'Connor was awarded a U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.

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▪ American religious leader

born January 15, 1920, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

died May 3, 2000, New York, New York

      American Roman Catholic prelate, who served as the archbishop of New York (1984–2000) and was regarded as the Vatican's leading spokesman in the United States.

      Born into a working-class family, O'Connor early decided to become a priest, and he studied at the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He was ordained in 1945 and later earned a Ph.D. (1970) from Georgetown University. In 1952 he joined the U.S. Navy as a military chaplain, ministering to soldiers in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He rose to become the U.S. Navy's chief of chaplains before retiring from the military—with the rank of rear admiral—in 1979. He then served as auxiliary bishop of New York to Terence Cardinal Cooke from 1979 to 1983, when he was named bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania. In 1984 O'Connor was appointed archbishop of New York by Pope John Paul II and was elevated to cardinal a year later.

      An ardent traditionalist, O'Connor was an outspoken defender of Roman Catholic teaching on sexual and moral ethics, and his views often caused controversy. A staunch foe of abortion, he provoked an outcry in 1990 when he stated that Roman Catholics who were in favour of abortion should be excommunicated. He was also steadfast in his opposition to the death penalty, immigration controls, and cuts in welfare programs. Among the other causes he supported was workers' rights, and he led efforts toward Catholic-Jewish reconciliation. O'Connor wrote several books, including A Chaplain Looks at Vietnam (1968), In Defense of Life (1981), and His Eminence and Hizzoner (1989; written with former New York City Mayor Ed Koch). In March 2000 O'Connor was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

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