Harry Joseph Flynn (born 2 May 1933 in Schenectady, New York) is a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and Archbishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Flynn succeeded his predecessor, Archbishop John Roach, on 8 September 1995.

Previously, Archbishop Flynn was the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, having been ordained to the episcopate on 24 June 1986. On May 5, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI accepted his resignation from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, in accordance with canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law. He was succeeded by Archbishop John Clayton Nienstedt.

Education

Flynn is a graduate of Siena College, having earned both a B.A. and a M.A. in English. After attending Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland he was ordained a priest on 18 May 1960.

Appointments

Archbishop Flynn is a member of several boards and committees.

• Member of the Board of Trustees at The Catholic University of America
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
• Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of St. Thomas
• President of the Saint John Vianney Seminary Board of Directors
• Member of the College of Saint Catherine Board of Trustees
• Member of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee for Black Catholics
• Member of the USCCB Committee on Sexual Abuse
• Member of the USCCB Committee on the Charismatic Renewal

Social justice initiatives

Flynn is especially noted for his devotion to Catholic education and the emphasis in his ministry on social justice, especially within his own archdiocese. He is also a strong advocate for Catholic economic justice abroad, and many of the parishes in the archdiocese have sister parishes in impoverished nations, such as Costa Rica. On 12 September 2003 he released a pastoral letter dealing with the issue of racism titled In God's Image, in which he called for the parishes of the diocese to unite in an effort to end racism and promote diversity and harmony, and in so doing, to make God's love more present to the rest of the world. Like his late predecessor, Flynn is an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq.

In May 2005, Archbishop Flynn publicly criticized Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty in the Star Tribune for what he perceived as irresponsible tax policies.

In the same month, Archbishop Flynn departed from the archdiocesan precedent by ordering his priests to refuse the Eucharist to any person wearing a rainbow sash (a symbol associated with those advocating for changes to the Church's position on (especially homosexual) sexual activity on Pentecost.

Other bishops

Currently, the Archdiocese has only one auxiliary bishop, Bishop Richard E. Pates, who is the titular Bishop of Suacia. Flynn requested that the Vatican assign a coadjutor archbishop, and on 24 April 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop John Clayton Nienstedt, head of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, as Flynn's coadjutor archbishop. Archbishop Nienstedt succeeded Flynn on 2nd of May 2008 and served as the apostolic administrator of New Ulm until his replacement was named in July 2008.

Episcopal succession

External links

• Brief biography from the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
• Episcopal Lineage from Catholic-Hierarchy.org

References

1. http://www.dol-louisiana.org/history.html
2. Cf. Holy See Press Office, Daily Bulletin of 02.05.2008, Rinunce e nomine, Rinuncia e successione dell'Arcivescovo di St. Paul and Minneapolis (U.S.A.)
3. Archdiocesan Website
4. Catholic Hierarchy.org