Denver, Colo., Sep 12, 2011 / 15:08 pm
Bishop James D. Conley, the interim leader of Denver Catholics after the departure of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, says the Pope's words at World Youth Day 2011 have given him confidence in a time of change.
“Three weeks ago, I prayed with more than a million and a half fellow Catholics in a field outside Madrid, led by Pope Benedict XVI,” Bishop Conley recalled in a column for the Sept. 14 edition of the Denver Catholic Register. A thunderstorm descended on the outdoor World Youth Day vigil, prompting the Pope to speak words that Bishop Conley said “might have been spoken directly to the Archdiocese of Denver.”
“'Dear friends,' he told us, 'may no adversity paralyze you. Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness. The Lord has allowed you to live in this moment of history so that, by your faith, his name will continue to resound throughout the world.'”
“His words that night were apropos,” wrote Bishop Conley, who was Archbishop Chaput's auxiliary for three years and became administrator with his departure for Philadelphia. “For 14 years, we have been graced with the fine leadership of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. For many of us, he has been a friend, a pastor, a mentor and a spiritual father.”