Timothy M. Dolan

Timothy M. Dolan

Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, Dolan is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York. Dolan also currently serves as the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was granted the titular position as Cardinal Priest of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario (English: Our Lady of Guadalupe of Mount Mario) in Rome.

Dolan is widely known for his conservative values and charismatic media personality. He previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009, preceded by service as an Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis from 2001 to 2002. Time Magazine named Dolan one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" for 2012.

Cardinal Dolan was named in the press as a likely papabile (a possible or likely successor) for election to the Papacy after Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation due to ill health, effective February 28, 2013. However, on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected instead, and took the name Pope Francis.

The eldest of five children, Timothy Dolan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Robert (d. 1977) and Shirley (née Radcliffe) Dolan. His father was an aircraft engineer, working as a floor supervisor at McDonnell Douglas. He has two brothers, one of whom is a former radio talk-show host, and two sisters. The family later moved to Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis, where they attended Holy Infant Roman Catholic Church. He exhibited a strong interest in the Roman Catholic priesthood from an early age, once saying, "I can never remember a time I didn't want to be a priest." He would also pretend to celebrate Mass as a child.