Considering holiness of life, breath of influence, competence, theological depth and clarity, my list:
1. Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Unrivaled for holiness of life, evangelical reach, intellectual brilliance.
2. Servant of Cardinal Terrence Cook. Competent, humble, holy man.
3. Bishop Robert Barron. Influential evangelist/catechist, first rate theologian, moderately conservative, appealing.
4. Servant of God Bishop John Ford M.M. First Maryknoll seminarian and missionary to China, he was imprisoned by Chinese Communists, tortured and died a martyr in 1952. He is representative of the Tridentine, pre-Vatican II Church.
And: Servant of God Bishop James Edward Walsh M.M. Another pioneer Maryknoll missionary to China, he refused to leave his people and was in solitary confinement for 12 years, returning home in 1971 and dying at the age of 90 in 1981. A man of fierce zeal and immense talent, he served as unofficial representative of FDR to Japan in the years prior to WWII.
5. Cardinal John O'Connor. Charming, influential Catholic classic; ally of John Paul; fierce defender of Catholic interests in the culture war and also on behalf of the poor.
6. Cardinal Sean O'Malley. Humble, holy, talented, Franciscan "man of the poor," he took over the Boston Church in the wake of the scandal and became a key advisor to Pope Francis.
7. Cardinal Francis George. A fine theological intellect, ally of John Paul/Benedict, and defender of religious freedom and Catholic interests in the Culture War.
8. Archbishop Charles Chaput. Much like Cardinal George, profound thinker and fierce culture warrior.
9. Cardinal Raymond Burke. Formerly an important Vatican figure, he has stood steadfastly as a correction to the Francis/Leo pontificates.
10. Cardinal Dolan. Widely respected, lively, vivacious, intelligent, influential figure.
(You are right, dear Reader, that was actually 11!)
Most Saintly Prelates:
1. Blessed Fulton Sheen
2. Servant of God, martyr, Bishop Ford
3. Servant of God Bishop James Anthony Walsh M.M.
4. Servant of God Cardinal Terrence Cook
Greatest Theologians
1. Blessed Fulton Sheen
2. Bishop Robert Barron
3. Archbishop Charles Chaput
4. Cardinal Francis George
Most Troubled Legacies
Immensely influential and talented, the following made major positive contributions to the American Church, but also had serious negative impact.
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick Now laicized and deceased, he is the face of the priest sex scandal. Super-energetic, talented, and charming he was a masterful fund raiser, a player in the Vatican, and a collaborator with John Paul when Archbishop of Newark. He became the leading episcopal progressive when he got his red hat and went to Washington DC. Notoriously, he misled the American episcopacy on the letter from Cardinal Ratzinger on the issue of communion for activist prochoice Catholic politicians.
Archbishop Weakland Another influential progressive, his memory is tainted by the $450,000 settlement involving a homosexual relationship.
Cardinal Law, Cardinal Wuerl, Cardinal Mahoney These were prominent among the many prelates who neglected to address priestly abuse of minors. Otherwise, Law was a widely respected conservative, Wuerl and Mahoney leading progressives.
Cardinal Bernadine Arguably the most powerful American Cardinal since Spellman, he was a moderate, conciliatory, prayerful, immensely intelligent, competent and appealing figure. He is much like our current Pope Leo who came from Chicago. Amazingly he got an episcopal consensus on nuclear weapons. His most significant legacy is the "seamless garment" approach to life. He argued for a consistent approach that reverences human life in all dimensions including abortion, poverty, war, homelessness and so forth. He himself did not equate essential evils (abortion) with prudential judgments (tax policy, etc.) and distanced himself from liberal politicians who used this approach to allow support for abortion. However, since he did not strongly accentuate the difference, this has become a defining rationale for Catholic who support prochoice politicians.
Other Considerations
Mid-Century Giants
A significant group of powerful cardinals presided over the immense expansion of the American Church in the 1950s into the early 1960. These were political powerhouses, in the Church and society, and competent builders. Often authoritarian. Not always known for theological acumen or piety. They epitomized the confident, aggressive, immigrant postwar Church.
Cardinal Francis Spellman. Archbishop of NY for almost 30 years, (1939-67) he was clearly the most powerful prelate of the era. Very close to Pope Pius XII, he exercised power in the Vatican, in American politics and dictatorially in his own realm. Fiercely anti-communist, he endorsed McCarthy and was the strongest Catholic supporter of the Vietnam War. On the negative side, he used seminarians to break a cemetery workers strike. He feuded with Sheen over money for the missions and retaliated by banishing him to Rochester. His legacy is mixed.
Cardinal Richard Cushing. Another long-serving prelate ((1944-70) in Boston, he was again a strong figure, a builder, a presence at the Council, an advocate for the poor/disadvantaged and for ecumenism and yet solid theologically. He was apparently a heavy drinker (which does not make him a bad person, necessarily). He was a close friend to the Kennedys. But this was before that tribe turned against their Catholic values so we cannot attribute blame here. He was (like Kroll) the classic postwar, liberal but rooted Catholic prelate.
Cardinal John Krol. A little later (1961-88) this Polish Philadelphia Cardinal served at the Council and was a trusted advisor to John Paul. He was a competent builder, a faithful conservative, and president of the bishops conference in the turbulent 1970s. He is said to have been influential in garnering American support in conclave that elected John Paul.
American Prelates at Vatican II
As noted, American postwar cardinals were strong leaders and builders, not intellectuals. Cardinal Ritter of St. Louis and Meyer of Chicago were known as strong progressive voices. Spellman was more conservative but apparently went along with the liberal trend and famously brought John Courtney-Murray S.J. as a peritus on the significant document on religious freedom.
American Vatican Insiders?
Other than Burke in his conflict with Francis, we do not address here Americans who have wielded influence within the Vatican. The most prominent, obvi: Pope Leo (Robert Prevost). In general, Cardinals in the Vatican do not get a lot of attention from the American press, except from Vatican watchers. (We recall John Allen of happy memory.) Vatican politics is mostly somewhat quiet.
Currently, Cardinal Kevin Farrell is strongly positioned in several offices and a progressive in the mode of Pope Francis. Leo clearly favors the Francis clique (Cupich, Tobin, McIntyre) although they are not influential within the American episcopacy. In recent memory O'Malley and Dolan were trusted by Francis. Other important figures: Rigali, Szoka, Levada, and Wright. It seems that generally Vatican service brings with it a degree of social modesty.
Conclusion
Considering our prelates of the last 80 years, we see a rich blend of holiness, human weakness, strong leadership, political maneuvering, and some theological excellence. In broad strokes, we can characterize these years:
1945-65 was a time of building with strong, urban, ethnic (largely Irish) figures like Spellman, Kroll, Cushing, Meyer, Cody and others.
1963-5 With exceptions, the American episcopacy was receptive of the Council. All good "organization men," they implemented it competently. Through the Paul VI years, the focus was on renewal and the changes. Powerful progressive forces, within and without the Church, including the media and the academy, drove things beyond the direction of the Council and our bishops.
1978-Present. By the election of John Paul, the Cultural Revolution was in full bloom and had polarized the Church within itself. And so we might distinguish three models of episcopal leadership. Mediators tried to bridge the emerging gulf: Bernadine, McCarrick, and today Pope Leo and Farrell. Conservative culture warriors defend Catholic values with John Paul and Benedict: Kroll, O'Connor, George, Chaput, and Burke. Lastly, progressives have been encouraged by Francis in a rupture with tradition: Cupich, Tobin, McElroy, Weakland, and others.
We conclude, as in all things, with prayer for our bishops and cardinals.
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