Brown, Charles John

Charles John Brown was born on October 19, 1959 , in East Village in Manhattan , near Orchard Street and Chinatown . At that time it was mainly a Jewish district. When Brown grew up in New York in the early 1960s, his family " was pretty much the only non-Jewish family in the apartment building ." Charles Brown is the eldest of six children. “ My mother gave birth to a baby every two years from 1959 to 1969, ” he says. “ After me came four younger sisters and a younger brother Peter, who was born when I was 10 years old .” ^[1] When the future archbishop was five years old, they moved to Paradise, a suburb north of New York. In 1971 , when he was 11 years old, his parents moved again.

His mother's maiden name was Patricia Murphy and one of the ancestors was called O'Callaghan, but the future Archbishop Brown had few connections with Ireland. Brown is the English surname of the German Brown ( German: Braun ). ^[2]

Charles Brown received the following academic degrees : Bachelor of Arts ( History ), University of Notre Dame , ^[3] Master of Arts ( Theology ), University of Oxford ( England ), Master of Arts ( Media Studies ), University of Toronto , Master of Theology, St. Joseph Seminary, Yonkers ( USA ), Doctor of Sacred Theology (sacramental theology), Pontifical University of St. Anselm, Rome .

His only experience visiting Ireland was two short vacations in the early 1980s when, studying theology at Oxford , he took a boat to Dublin to visit his American friend and his Irish girlfriend for Christmas . ^[2]

During his studies as a priest at the Danwood Seminary, Edwin Frederick O'Brien was the rector of the seminary . Brown was ordained a priest , for the New York Archdiocese , by Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor , May 13, 1989 , ^[4] at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York . From 1989 to 1991, he was an assistant priest at the St. Brendan Ward in the Bronx , New York. In 1991, Father Brown was sent to Rome because the New York Cardinal John O'Connor, who ordained him, asked him to obtain a doctorate in sacramental theology, and return back as soon as possible to become a professor of theology at Danwoody. But this plan never became a reality. The vacancy opened in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith because they needed an English specialist. The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith asked Cardinal O'Connor if he could free Father Brown from his duties in New York. ^[one]

From 1994 until his appointment as an apostolic nuncio , Father Brown worked as an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. On May 6, 2000, Father Brown became chaplain of His Holiness . In September 2009, Monsignor Brown was appointed associate secretary of the International Theological Commission .

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - the diksteria of the Roman Curia where he worked, dealt with the scandal around sexual harassment of children since 1994 , ^{[3] [5] [6] [7] [8]} when it was led by then Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, who, already as Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Nuncio.

Response to appointment

In an interview in October 2012, Monsignor Brown describes his appointment to Ireland . “ I was amazed and amazed in the fall of 2011 when Cardinal Bertone ( Secretary of State of the Holy See ) introduced me to a new mission and said that the Holy Father personally asked me to do this ,” he says. “ I will do everything that the Holy Father asks me to do - it goes without saying - but, of course, I thought that there might be others who would be better for this work and who have more experience. "This is not an ordinary picture for those who work in one of the dicastries of the Holy See , and who must be transferred to the diplomatic service ." He was given a day to “ think and pray about it, ” after which he told the Holy Father that he considers his appointment to be part of God's will for him, coinciding in time with the will of the Pope himself. When I believe that this appointment was a sign that Benedict XVI appreciates it highly, Archbishop Brown shakes his head, shrugs and says: “ Maybe, but I have a lot of work to do in Ireland, but it remains to be seen, if I do this job well . " ^[one]

Appointment as a Papal Diplomat

Monsignor Charles Brown was appointed titular archbishop of Aquileia and the apostolic nuncio in Ireland on November 26, 2011 ^{[9] [10]} and was ordained bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on January 6, 2012 ^[11] together with Marek Solczynski , titular archbishop of Kesarii and Caesarea Nuncio in Georgia and Armenia . ^[12] After his ordination, Archbishop Brown said that “the whole experience was one great joy and comfort for me. Of course, I am aware of my unworthiness for the bishopric and my limitations, but especially when the Pope laid his hands on my head, I had a great sense of the power of the Holy Spirit and the presence of saints . " ^[13] Experience, he said, " gives me full confidence that I can do something beautiful for God ."

Archbishop Brown's position

Archbishop Brown is one of the very few Nuncias appointed from outside the ranks of the Holy See diplomatic service and not trained at the Pontifical Church Academy , which trains these diplomats. Speaking to the Irish Independent , Dublin Archbishop Diarmide Martin said he does not believe in the appointment as an attempt by the Vatican to settle relations with the Irish government. He called Brown the theologian " much more focused on theology than on the relationship between church and state ." Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan said: “ He is a young, energetic, very theologically savvy, but pastorally sensitive guy ” ^[14] .

New Mission Tasks

Among the main tasks of the new nuncio would be to help the pope by sending recommendations to fill vacancies in the already vacant dioceses of Kloin (the appointment of William Crin was announced on November 24, 2012 ), ^[15] Derry, Kildare and Leichlin and Limerick and other dioceses whose chapters reached retirement age, and appoint a co-adjudicator to Archbishop Armagh , Cardinal Sean Brady . It was provided that there could be a merger and reorganization of the dioceses of Ireland.

On February 16, 2012, Archbishop Brown, presenting his credentials to President Higgins, promised to do everything in his power to “ strengthen and strengthen ”, as well as “ confirm and deepen ” relations between the Holy See and Ireland . Archbishop Brown said that Pope Benedict XVI asked him to convey his personal respect to the president, as well as his “ best wishes and sincere love ” for the Irish people. ^[sixteen]

There are three key aspects to this post. On weekdays in the nunciature of Archbishop Brown, God's light, through many documents, as one part of the general process that leads to the appointment of bishops to the vacant dioceses of Ireland. Each morning, the mail takes an hour or two to read. Many Irish lay people who see in him the embodiment of hope for the Church in Ireland to start a new start come in contact with questions. Secondly, as the dean of the diplomatic corps , he must be present at all diplomatic events. Thirdly, he is the messenger of the Holy See in many events of the Church along and across Ireland. One day, he can be in Letterkenny in Donegal county to celebrate Mass for pregnant women, and the next, climb the rocky mountain Kroch Patrick . ^[one]

In November 2012, Archbishop Brown stated that the Church “was“ going through periods of incredible judgment ”for more than fifteen centuries here, but each time it became“ stronger, cleansed and more faithful to the Lord , ”he said.” Archbishop Brown continued to note that Catholics in Ireland needed to wonder why “ previous generations were able to transfer their faith in conditions of extreme deprivation - during times of persecution, famine and even forced emigration - while, in our time, relative comfort and ease, faith will not always be transmitted . ” In an interview for Intercom magazine of Catholic bishops, he asked if it could be that “the way we live in modern Western society makes us less sensitive to spiritual reality?” Could it be, for example, that filling every hour, every day with music or television or the Internet or video games or text, leads to a kind of spiritual insensibility or numbness? " ^[17]

2012 Interview

In an interview with 2012, Archbishop Brown said he was knowledgeable about the delicate moment in Ireland, but said that he was going to Ireland to “ learn ” and “ help .” Brown added, “ Let's not exaggerate. Nuncio is the representative of the Holy See in the field. This is not to say that, in a sense, it is under the control of the Church in Ireland. These are the bishops of Ireland who are under the control of the Church in Ireland . ” ^[2]

Archbishop Brown admitted that he has a good line of communication with Pope Benedict XVI, saying: “ I know him, he knows me. I worked with him closely for 10 years, I traveled with him, I worked a lot for him. He trusts me, for better or for worse . ” He added that “ I have not seen anything yet. I have a steep mountain to climb, and I hope to be there to help. Regarding reforms in the Church of Ireland, I am agnostic in this. I need to study all the materials, and then talk to the Irish bishops . ” He came to the conclusion that “the Church was left behind bent over by all this, the Church must modernize and find new ways to present its message to people in this new context of materialism and consumerism in society, which are now more similar to other European countries than it was in 1980- x years. " ^[2]

Apostolic Nuncio in Albania

On March 9, 2017, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Brown the Apostolic Nuncio in Albania . ^[18]

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