Leo XIV Names Bishop of Albany, Excited About "Many Homosexuals in the Church"
Born in 1964, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, Bishop O’Connell was ordained for Boston in 1990 and holds a Doctorate in Canon Law. He has served in parish, seminary, and diocesan tribunal roles. Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Boston in June 2016.
Holy Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians
In July 2021, Bishop O’Connell voted against a U.S. bishops’ motion to draft a document linking reception of Holy Communion to public adherence to Church teaching.
He said the proposal could be seen as a call to deny Communion to pro-abortion politicians, stating, “It is not up to me to deny anyone Holy Communion.”
Speaking to CatholicNewsAgency.com, Bishop O’Connell added that the discussion focused “too heavily on abortion”. He suggested there were “more appropriate ways” to address then-President Biden. However, he did not elaborate on what those more “appropriate ways” are.
Weakness towards Homosexual Ideology
Talking to AmericaMagazine.org, Bishop O’Connell said in January 2018 about homosexuality: “We are not against gay people. We have lots of homosexual members in our Church.”
He is “not prejudiced” against homosexual people and noted positively that homosexuals become priests and live chastely.
Calling himself inspired by Pope Francis, he said the Church needs to “find new language” on homosexuality.
Bishop O’Connell repeated that the search for a new language is ongoing and continues to evolve also among homosexuals: “We need to work on language that we can all agree on.”
He added that bishops are “struggling” with transgender questions, noting that “Jesus did not say, ‘In 2018, when we speak about transgender people, this is the answer.’”
Bishop O'Connell emphasized the need to “really be kind” when forming policies on bathrooms and locker rooms in Church institutions.
No Objection to Gender-Neutral Toilets and School Uniforms
As Boston Auxiliary Bishop, Monsignor O'Connell was chairing a drafting committee for new guidelines on gender identity.
A former member said back then, that in the commitee there were no objections about gender-neutral school uniform options and gender-neutral bathrooms.
“Doing My Best to Be Synodal”
In a YouTube interview in September, Bishop O'Connell used Francis-style buzzwords such as synodality, vulnerability, listening, and sharing.
Speaking about synodality, he said: “That's the word Pope Francis gave to us about teaching us to listen to each other. And Pope Leo has continued that legacy. And I’m doing my best to be synodal.”
Defending Illegal Migrants
Furthermore, Bishop O’Connell is a champion for illegal immigration.
In his homily for St Patrick's day in 2017, he wined about the "undocumented immigrants who cannot control the separation of their families".
At a meeting with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in February 2025, Bishop O’Connell voiced deep concern over immigrant policies. “Throughout the Boston Archdiocese, people are not coming to church — and the fear [of arrests] is real.”
Agony in Albany Will Continue
The Diocese of Albany suffered major decline under Bishop Howard Hubbard (1977–2014). He faced a Vatican investigation, numerous abuse lawsuits, and criticism in the 1990s series “Agony in Albany”of The Wanderer. The articles detailed dissent from Church teaching among diocesan leaders. Hubbard entered a civil marriage in July 2023 at age 84 and died in August 2023.
In March 2023, the Diocese of Albany filed for bankruptcy amid hundreds of alleged abuse claims. In October 2025, it agreed to an $8 million settlement in one such case while still under bankruptcy protection.
#newsLwwgujmqlv