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Denver's Catholic archdiocese, famously conservative, enters the Leo era
Bishop James Golka, installed March 25, leads Denver’s 600,000 Catholics with a pastoral approach to ease cultural and institutional tensions in the archdiocese.
- On March 25, Bishop James Golka was installed as the new archbishop of Denver, succeeding Samuel Aquila. Golka, who previously led the diocese of Colorado Springs, arrives with hopes of unifying the archdiocese's 600,000 Catholics.
- Archbishops Francis Stafford, Charles Chaput, and Samuel Aquila built Denver into a conservative Catholic hub over decades. However, Aquila's tenure frustrated progressive Catholics through restrictive policies on LGBTQ+ students and reassignments of pastors in historically progressive parishes.
- Parishioners signaled dissatisfaction by sending a petition with nearly 900 signatures protesting Aquila's decisions. Friction intensified when pastors denied Communion to women wearing rainbow masks, and disputes arose over Machebeuf's closure.
- Chas Canfield, operations manager of a women's emergency shelter in Denver, described Golka as living with "the joy of Christ," highlighting his pastoral reputation. His support for transitional housing and response to the Club Q shooting bolster hopes for healing.
- Now leading 25 counties, Golka faces the challenge of healing divisions within the archdiocese's polarized communities. His pastoral style will be central to how Denver navigates the church's broader tensions as it enters the Leo era of leadership.
20 Articles
20 Articles
Denver’s new archbishop receives his mission and sends faithful on their mission: Know Jesus
DENVER (OSV News) — March 25: a day of intense joy for the global Church. The day when Mary’s “yes” echoed through eternity, bringing forth humanity’s savior. In a homily on this very day, St. Bernard of Clairvaux emphatically describes how the world waited with bated breath for Mary’s response. Her “yes” evoked an explosive, near-incomparable joy in heaven. But this March 25, there was a measure of that transformative joy as the Archdiocese of …
The Hamilton Spectator
The RecordDenver’s Catholic archdiocese, famously conservative, enters the Leo era
(RNS) — When the helicopter delivering Pope John Paul II to a Catholic youth festival descended into Denver’s Mile High Stadium 32 years ago, the crowd’s roar, the pilot later told papal biographer George Weigel, created turbulence he hadn’t experienced…
Associated Press News
Denver's Catholic archdiocese, famously conservative, enters the Leo era
(RNS) — When the helicopter delivering Pope John Paul II to a Catholic youth festival descended into Denver’s Mile High Stadium 32 years ago, the crowd’s roar, the pilot later told papal biographer George Weigel, created turbulence he hadn’t experienced since being under fire in the Vietnam War.
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