William E. Lori

American Catholic bishop

William Edward Lori (born May 6, 1951) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as the 16th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland since 2012. Lori previously served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport in Connecticut, and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington D. C. He also serves as vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

William Lori was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 6, 1951, to Francis and Margaret Lori. He attended the Seminary of Saint Pius X in Erlanger, Kentucky, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. He earned a master's degree from Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, in 1977.

Lori was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal William Wakefield Baum on May 14, 1977, for the Archdiocese of Washington. After his ordination, Lori served as a parochial vicar at St. Joseph Parish in Largo, Maryland, from 1977 until 1982. He earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C., in 1982. That same year, Lori became a theological advisor to Cardinal James Aloysius Hickey, maintaining that role until 2000. In early 1995, Lori served as spokesman for the archdiocese when it removed four priests from ministry after they confessed to sexually abusing an altar boy years earlier.

On February 25, 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed Lori as an auxiliary bishop of Washington and titular bishop of Bulla. He was consecrated by Cardinal Hickey on April 20, 1995, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C., with Cardinal William Wakefield Baum and Bishop William George Curlin serving as co consecrators. As bishop, Lori launched new initiatives in Catholic education, vocations, Catholic Charities, pastoral services, and other ministries While serving in Bridgeport, Lori refused to release the names of diocesan priests who were being sued for sexual abuse, part of the sexual abuse scandal in Bridgeport diocese. The US Supreme Court ruled against Lori in 2009 and the diocese was forced to release the names.

On March 20, 2012, Lori was appointed archbishop of by Pope Benedict XVI; Lori was installed on May 6, 2012. In January 2019, Lori released “The Journey to Racial Justice: Repentance, Healing and Action.” The document acknowledged racism in the Catholic Church and suggested measures to combat it. obtained copies of the first and final drafts of Lori's report on Bransfield. The final draft omitted the names of several cardinals and bishops who had received cash gifts from Bransfield, including that of Lori himself. After the article was published, Lori returned his $7,500 contribution from Bransfield to the Diocese of Wheeling Charleston, asking that they donate it to Catholic Charities. Other bishops followed his example. Lori admitted removing the names to the Baltimore Sun, stating “looking back on this in hindsight, I would say that judgment call was a mistake.”