NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The 1.5 million Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, welcomed a cardinal as their new shepherd.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin was installed as the sixth archbishop of Newark during a Mass on Friday.
He told the congregation that included Republican Gov. Chris Christie during his homily that the “chasm between life and faith” was one of the greatest challenges facing the church.
Tobin succeeds Archbishop John Myers, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in July and had been accused of mishandling sex abuse cases and criticized for spending lavishly on his retirement home.
Pope Francis elevated Tobin to cardinal in November, marking a transition in Newark away from an archbishop who was focused on drawing hard lines about Catholic orthodoxy and providing a fresh start for an archdiocese battered by controversies over Myers’ leadership.
Tobin had made a name for himself in the Vatican as the former No. 2 at the Holy See’s office for religious orders, where he worked to heal relationships with U.S. nuns amid an uproar over two Vatican investigations into their adherence to doctrine. The inquiries began under Pope Benedict XVI and ended under Francis, who praised the sisters for their work with the poor and disenfranchised.
Tobin was the archbishop of Indianapolis, where he opposed Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, who wanted to prevent Syrian refugees from settling in the state. Pence is now vice president-elect.
The Newark Archdiocese this month is resettling refugees from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Newark archdiocese serves Roman Catholics in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. About 20 percent are Latino and nearly as many are black.
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This story has been corrected to show Pence is still governor.
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