Archbishop On 4-Month Vacation To Pray, Study
Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen is taking a vacation. A four-month vacation, to be exact.
It is the longest time the archbishop has ever taken away from his job, according to John McCoy, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Seattle.
``It's a block of time for concentrated prayer and study,'' McCoy said.
Hunthausen, who has been head of the Seattle archdiocese for 15 years, is visiting with family in Western Montana, where he was raised and where he will spend much of his leave time, said McCoy.
It will be a time of rest and prayer for Hunthausen, 68, who has endured years of turmoil after the Vatican in 1983 began investigating him following complaints from some Catholics about what they called his lax policies in the archdiocese.
Hunthausen, an outspoken opponent of the nuclear-arms race, has drawn criticism from conservative Catholics for his positions on the arms race, ministry to homosexuals and the role of women in the church, as well as for supporting sanctuary for Central American refugees. In addition, some Catholics claim he has allowed liturgical abuses and been lax in his disciplining of priests.
Hunthausen suffered a mild heart attack in 1984 and underwent cancer surgery in 1986. He also had many powers stripped from him, and later returned to him, by the Vatican in the midst of the investigation.
Co-adjutor Archbishop Thomas Murphy will be in charge of the archdiocese while Hunthausen is gone. He is scheduled to return to work Nov. 1.