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The Most Reverend John Raphael Quinn
Archbishop emeritus of San Francisco
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	San Francisco
Appointed	February 16, 1977
Installed	April 26, 1977
Term ended	December 27, 1995
Predecessor	Joseph T. McGucken
Successor	William Levada
Previous post(s)	Archbishop of Oklahoma City (1971–1977) Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego (1967–1971)
Orders
Ordination	July 19, 1953
Consecration	December 12, 1967 by Luigi Raimondi, Francis James Furey, and Frederick William Freking
Personal details
Born	(1929-03-28)March 28, 1929 Riverside, California
Died	June 22, 2017(2017-06-22) (aged 88) San Francisco, California
Nationality	American
Coat of arms

Styles of John Raphael Quinn
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

John Raphael Quinn (March 28, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of San Francisco from 1977 to 1995 and Archbishop of Oklahoma City from 1971 to 1977. He served as the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1977 to 1980.

Early life and ordination

Quinn was born in Riverside, California, and ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of San Diego on July 19, 1953. Pope Paul VI named him auxiliary bishop of San Diego with the titular see of Thisiduo on October 21, 1967. He was consecrated on December 12. While a social progressive, Quinn was identified with a conservative camp in the questions of dogma. Early in his career as an auxiliary bishop, he criticized American "pansexuality and materialism" in a 1971 interview, noting that as a result, the supernatural explanation of celibacy falls on deaf ears in many parts of Western society.

Archbishop of Oklahoma City

On November 17, 1971, he was appointed Bishop of Oklahoma City-Tulsa. When the diocese was split to form the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa on December 13, 1972, Quinn became the first Archbishop of Oklahoma City.

The website of that Archdiocese reports that "he revealed his priorities by his actions: emphasis on priestly vocations, desire for better pastoral care of Spanish-speaking Catholics, re-establishment of a Catholic newspaper, appointment of a full-time youth director, and a reorganization of Catholic charities." As leader of the new Archdiocese, Quinn "fought against the death penalty, championed land reform and complained about extremism in the right-to-life movement."

Pope Paul VI named Quinn to participate in the 1974 World Synod of Bishops.

Archbishop of San Francisco

Quinn's appointment by Pope Paul VI in 1977 was received with local praise; for almost his entire episcopate in San Francisco the archbishop enjoyed the support of priests and the lay faithful. In his early years in the Bay Area he was simultaneously president of the USCC NCCB, which often kept him away from the archdiocese. He was the first bishop of a diocese west of the Mississippi to become president of the USCC. He succeeded Joseph Bernardin (then Bishop of Cincinnati). Kenneth Briggs, writing for The New York Times, deemed Quinn to be "much more at ease with the press than his predecessor". The same article described Quinn as "a polished, courtly gentleman, self-assured with a substantial element of modesty and self-effacement."

Quinn recognized that the Archdiocese was too large for effective pastoral governance and helped devise plans for the creation of the Diocese of San Jose, which was erected by Pope John Paul II on January 27, 1981.

LGBT

Quinn reached out to gay Catholics as early as 1983. He issued a document that asked priests to take concerns of gay people seriously. In it, he said he wanted gay Catholics to find "a church where he or she will find acceptance, understanding, and love." Priests were reminded in the letter that many gay Catholics saw their orientation as a positive.

He supported the efforts of Most Holy Redeemer Church in The Castro in their efforts to reach out to the LGBT population of the neighborhood. Quinn regularly visited this parish, especially during the annual 40 Hours Vigil held throughout the 1980s in support of those who were HIV-positive and their caregivers.

AIDS

In 1985, Archbishop Quinn initiated the Catholic Church's first institutional response to the AIDS epidemic and when John Paul II visited San Francisco in 1987, Archbishop Quinn arranged for the pontiff to meet with several AIDS patients, including a young boy.

Loma Prieta earthquake

In the 1990s, Quinn turned his attention to the needs of the archdiocese after the Loma Prieta earthquake, which damaged many churches. The Archdiocese of San Francisco drew up a plan which would see the closure of a dozen parishes whose churches had been damaged in the earthquake. This plan drew the wrath of many priests, 41 of whom signed a dissenting petition. Quinn sold the former archiepiscopal residence and in the summer of 1992 moved into the cathedral rectory, where he lived with fellow clergy until his retirement.

Scandals, unusually early retirement

Quinn retired at 66, much earlier than the usual 75, after a "tumultuous 18-year reign". He had taken a leave of absence because of depression in 1987, but returned to lead the archdiocese effectively. There followed "a series of scandals during the past two years involving child abuse and embezzlement by several San Francisco priests." The archbishop received particularly harsh criticism for his lenient treatment of the pedophile priest Msgr. Patrick J. O'Shea, who was later removed from ministry and laicized. O'Shea was a prominent figure in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, often promoted by Quinn. From 1972 to 1982, for instance, O'Shea was assistant director for Vocations, tasked with recruiting young priests, and also director of the archdiocesan Society for the Propagation of the Faith (1971–1982).

Views

Quinn became a regular contributor to the Jesuit magazine America and wrote several books.

Irenicism and liberalism

Quinn was an irenic and liberal presence in San Francisco who, in the 1970s and 1980s, offered leadership to Catholics in the United States on issues as diverse as women religious, nuclear weapons, sanctuary for Central American refugees, and working to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Óscar Romero

After the assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero in March 1980, Quinn issued a statement lauding the murdered prelate as "a voice for the poor and the oppressed." Quinn attended Romero's funeral.

The Reform of the Papacy

Throughout his episcopate he maintained strong links with the Catholic Church in England; he visited there regularly. After his retirement as archbishop, he spent time at Campion Hall, Oxford, giving a talk in 1996 on "The Claims of the Primacy and the Costly Call to Unity". It was the first draft of his 1999 book, The Reform of the Papacy.

This call for the reform of the Roman Curia and a reduction of its powers was interpreted by some as an attack on the papacy. Quinn repeatedly made it clear that he was not opposing the Vatican. In many ways, his writings prefigured the views of Pope Francis.

Selected works

• The Reform of the Papacy (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 1999).
• Revered and Reviled: A Re-Examination of Vatican Council I (New York: Crossroad Publishing, 2017).
• Ever Ancient, Ever New: Structures of Communion in the Church (New York: Paulist Press, 2013).

See also

• Biography
• Catholicism
• California

References

1. "Past Bishops of the San Diego Diocese". www.sdcatholic.org. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
2. Fiske, Edward (April 30, 1971). "Catholic Bishops Resist Changes Within Church". New York Times. p. 1. ProQuest 119246988. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
3. "One Becomes Two: 1972-1977 Archbishop John R. Quinn". Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
4. ^ Briggs, Kenneth A. (November 16, 1977). "A Spokesman For Catholics. John Raphael Quinn". The New York Times. p. A11.
5. "Archbishop John Quinn Obituary". Duggan's Serra Mortuary. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
6. ^ Grimes, William (July 6, 2017). "John R. Quinn, Archbishop and Liberal Voice in Church, Dies at 88". New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
7. "History".
8. ^ Michael O'Loughlin (December 21, 2019). "A gay Catholic Church in the Castro". Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church (Podcast). America. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
9. Nolte, Carl (June 22, 2017). "Archbishop John R. Quinn, Catholic progressive, dies in S.F." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
10. "Retired San Francisco Archbishop John R. Quinn Joining USD". Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
11. Lattin, Don (August 16, 1995). "Archbishop Quinn of S.F. To Resign / His successor is a conservative". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
12. "Msgr. Patrick J. O'Shea". BishopAccountability.org. 2004. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
13. "Archbishop John R. Quinn". America. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
14. "San Francisco archbishop's account of Oscar Romero's funeral". National Catholic Reporter. Catholic News Service. March 24, 2015.
15. Anderson, David E. (March 13, 1982). "U.S Catholic church and the politics of El Salvador". UPI. Retrieved April 21, 2018.
16. Quinn, John R. "The Claims of the Primacy and the Costly Call to Unity". EWTN. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
17. ""Impressed by Pope's Emphasis on "Synodality" in the Church"". La Stampa. July 22, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
18. "Archbishop John Quinn in Interview". www.praytellblog.com. June 12, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2016.

External links

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Official Site

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
Ordinaries	Archbishops Joseph Sadoc Alemany Patrick William Riordan Edward Joseph Hanna John Joseph Mitty Joseph Thomas McGucken John R. Quinn William Levada George Hugh Niederauer Salvatore Cordileone Auxiliary bishops Denis J. O'Connell Edward Joseph Hanna Thomas Arthur Connolly Hugh Aloysius Donohoe James Thomas O'Dowd Merlin Guilfoyle William Joseph McDonald Norman Francis McFarland Francis Quinn Pierre DuMaine Daniel F. Walsh Carlos Arthur Sevilla Patrick Joseph McGrath John Charles Wester Ignatius C. Wang William J. Justice Robert W. McElroy Robert Francis Christian Coadjutor bishops George Thomas Montgomery
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption Former cathedrals Old Saint Mary's Cathedral Old Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption Churches List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Nativity, Menlo Park Our Lady of the Wayside, Portola Valley Epiphany, San Francisco Holy Name of Jesus, San Francisco Mission San Francisco de Asís, San Francisco Most Holy Redeemer, San Francisco Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, San Francisco Sacred Heart, San Francisco St. Anne of the Sunset, San Francisco St. Brendan, San Francisco St. Cecilia, San Francisco St. Dominic, San Francisco St. Ignatius, San Francisco St. Joseph's Church, San Francisco St. Patrick's, San Francisco St. Paul's, San Francisco Saints Peter and Paul, San Francisco St. Vincent de Paul, San Francisco
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Ordinaries	Prefects of Indian territory Isidore Robot Ignatius Jean Bishops Theophile Meerschaert Francis Kelley Eugene J. McGuinness Victor Joseph Reed Archbishops John R. Quinn Charles Salatka Eusebius J. Beltran Paul Stagg Coakley
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Education	Higher education St. Gregory's University High schools Bishop McGuinness High School Mount St. Mary High School Cristo Rey High School
Priests	Raised to the episcopate Stephen Aloysius Leven John Joseph Sullivan Anthony Taylor Edward Weisenburger Beatified Stanley Rother
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v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Bishops	Ordinaries Charles Francis Buddy Francis James Furey Leo Thomas Maher Robert Henry Brom Cirilo Flores Robert W. McElroy Coadjutor bishops Cirilo Flores Auxiliary bishops Richard Henry Ackerman John R. Quinn Gilbert Espinosa Chávez Salvatore Cordileone John P. Dolan Ramon Bejarano Michael Pham Felipe Pulido
Churches	Churches List of churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego Cathedral St. Joseph Cathedral, San Diego
Education	High schools, diocesan Academy of Our Lady of Peace, Normal Heights, San Diego Cathedral Catholic High School, Carmel Valley, San Diego Formerly the University of San Diego High School Mater Dei Catholic High School, Chula Vista Formerly Marian Catholic High School St. Augustine High School, North Park, San Diego Vincent Memorial Catholic High School, Calexico High schools, independent Saint Joseph Academy, San Marcos Catholic school not associated with Diocese, formerly known as Sierra Madre Academy High school, closed University of San Diego High School
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• 1929 births
• 2017 deaths
• People from Riverside, California
• Roman Catholic archbishops of San Francisco
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