Scranton bishop resigns, citing tensions

Saying the strains of leadership had proved too much for him, Bishop Joseph Martino announced yesterday he was stepping down as head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton after six contentious years.

Early resignations are unusual in the Catholic hierarchy, but Martino, 63, said he was suffering frequent insomnia and sometimes "crippling" fatigue, and felt he could no longer lead effectively. The normal retirement age for Catholic bishops is 75.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, will serve as interim leader of the 350,000-member diocese, which comprises 11 northeastern counties.

Admired by the antiabortion movement for his advocacy, Martino's tenure was also marked by unpopular parish closings, clashes with the local Catholic colleges, and battles with the Catholic teachers' union. He rarely appeared in public or spoke to secular news media.

At a joint news conference with Rigali yesterday in Scranton, Martino acknowledged that his leadership style had been unpopular with some clergy and laity. He finished his prepared remarks by saying, "I seek forgiveness from anyone I may not have adequately served."

He declined all requests for interviews.

Rigali will continue to lead the nearly 1.5 million-member Philadelphia archdiocese while serving as Scranton's temporary "apostolic administrator." He is senior bishop, or metropolitan, of Pennsylvania's 10 Catholic dioceses.

Martino's successor, Rigali said, likely would be named in about six months.

Although he will continue to live within the 11-county diocese, Martino will not perform any bishop's duties, including confirmations, for at least the time being. "You have to fade" into the background, he said.

He said he had submitted his resignation to Rome on June 12 but did not receive authorization to step down until the end of July. "It's a bit of a relief for me to have all of this out in public," he said.

A Philadelphia native and a graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Martino was ordained in 1970 and made an auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia in 1996. Pope John Paul II appointed him to Scranton in 2003.

A scholarly and accessible theologian who championed Mother Katherine Drexel's cause for sainthood, he inherited a diocese mired in debt, and seemed to lack the skill to deliver palatable solutions.

He closed, or announced plans to close, 115 parishes - nearly half the total. He also lit a firestorm of resentment in this pro-labor coal-mining region when he refused to recognize the Catholic teachers' union. The union lobbied for a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature that would give religious-school teachers unprecedented protection under the state Labor Relations Board - to the dismay of the state's other Catholic dioceses. The bill remains in committee.

Martino earned a national reputation for his opposition to abortion and his denunciations of officials who favor abortion rights, including President Obama.

He threatened to refuse Holy Communion to Vice President Biden and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, both Scranton natives. Casey, a Democrat who opposes abortion, had voted for former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She supports abortion rights.

Rigali, who already divides his time between Philadelphia and Rome, said he did not expect to be present regularly in the diocese during the interim. He said Martino's predecessor as bishop, the Rev. James C. Timlin, and the retiring auxiliary bishop, the Rev. John Dougherty, would handle confirmations and other liturgical functions for the near future.

Rigali appointed Msgr. Joseph Bambera, pastor of two parishes in Lackawanna County, to oversee the diocese's daily operations.