Those Familiar with Vatican Processes Discuss Burke's Replacement

By Alex Fees

KSDK -- The St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese College of Consulters has elected Bishop Robert Hermann as Archbishop Raymond Burke's temporary replacement.

A news release from the Archdiocese of St. Louis states that Hermann will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Archdiocese until the installation of Burke's replacement.

People familiar with the processes of the Vatican say the Papal Nuncio in Washington, D.C., will take recommendations on Burke's replacement.

While in law school, St. Louis attorney Ed Martin was appointed for one month to work as an expert inside the Vatican for Pope John Paul II. He also served as a legal aide for the Synod of Bishops, Archdiocesan cabinet director, and head of the Archdiocese Human Rights Office.

Martin calls Burke's appointment as the first American to the prefect of the Supreme Court Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, historic. Martin also calls Burke's appointment a tribute to Burke's skills as a canon lawyer.

"What begins to happen now is the process of beginning to find a new archbishop. Generally, the form that that takes is across the country, people, including bishops and leaders, solicit names of who would be a good bishop. Those recommendations are gathered by the Papal Nuncio in Washington, D.C., the Vatican's ambassador. And that person, that gentleman, will gather that, and start to go through the list. There will be some background checks, and interviews, and there will be lots of different recommendations," Martin said.

"You could have recommendations from all kinds of people, laymen, priests, bishops; certainly some of the major Cardinals in the country have a great influence. I would say Cardinal George in Chicago, Cardinal Rigali, of course; Archbishop Tim Dolan in Wisconsin is very well-regarded. So the Papal Nuncio will gather those names, and generally send over to the Vatican two or three names."

Martin adds if there is a short list of candidates for Burke's replacement, they are likely native sons of the St. Louis Archdiocese.

"My short list includes men like Bishop Terry Steib, in Memphis. Bishop Steib is an African-American bishop, very well-liked and successful. He has done wonderful things in Memphis. He was an auxiliary in St. Louis, fifteen-twenty years ago," he said. "Another to consider is Bishop Robert Finn, in Kansas City-St. Joseph. He is a very well-regarded young bishop. Bishop Michael Sheridan, in Colorado. And Archbishop Joe Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas. I think all those would be candidates to come back."

"The Archdiocese is big enough and historically important enough, that we're probably looking at current bishops as the people to be named. So that's a smaller universe of bishops, out there."

While no timetable has been announced for replacing Archbishop Burke, Martin says it is not likely to happen before late summer or early fall.