Archdiocese

A multi-month session of earthquake-related repairs to Baltimore's Basilca of the Assumption will start next week, after being delayed from its original start date, a representative for the Archdiocese of Baltimore wrote in an email on Wednesday. "The repairs to the 200-year-old structure will not begin until August 1.," wrote Sean Caine, referring to a series of fixes that are budgeted to cost $3-5 million. "At that time the Basilica will be open for Masses and tours with access restricted to the undercroft -- where Masses will take place [Mondays through Fridays]

Today's installation of William E. Lori as the 16 t h archbishop of Baltimore is a noteworthy event, not only for the half-million Catholics in an archdiocese that stretches from Middle River to the mountains of Western Maryland, but for non-Catholics, too. The church continues to wield great influence in the secular world and notably in Maryland, a state with a long history of Catholicism from the Colonial era to the present. We wish Archbishop Lori well. He succeeds CardinalEdwin F. O'Brien, whose relatively brief time in Baltimore will be remembered, for better or worse, primarily for his controversial decision to close 13 of 64 Catholic schools and consolidate others.

Baltimore Archbishop-designate William Lori said that the U.S. is witnessing "an erosion of religious liberty" and that a sign of it is the Obama administration's attempt to ensure Catholic schools, hospitals and charities provide birth control coverage as part of their employees' health insurance package. Lori, appearing as part of an Easter-morning round-table discussion on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he would not characterize the current atmosphere as a "war" on religion. But he termed the proposed federal mandate, which has been altered to make it more palatable to Catholics, "one of the most important of these underminings of religious liberty.

The recent rulings by theU.S. Supreme Courtregarding habeas corpus relief for certain inmates have caused grave concerns and anxiety for the courageous survivors of John Merzbacher, as indicated by the many victims who have contacted us over the past several days. During my four-plus years as archbishop of Baltimore, I had the privilege of meeting with several of John Merzbacher's victims and their families, who recounted for me their tragic and painful abuse. It is clear to me that the abuse they suffered has had an enormous impact on their lives and the lives of their families, and I fear that they will suffer anew if Mr. Merzbacher's request to be released is granted.

ON THE SITE... City Hall considers selling 15 historic landmarks : Baltimore's Board of Estimates is slated to approve a contract with a consultant reviewing the sale or lease of the Shot Tower,  Upton Mansion, Clifton Park Valve House and Old Town Friends' Meeting House. The consultant will determine the market value of the landmarks. The Anne Arundel County Council subpoenas police chief to testify on Leopold :  The council wants Police Chief Col. James E. Teare, Sr. to answer questions next week about the political corruption case of County Executive John R. Leopold.

At a time when Roman Catholic bishops are waging political wars against contraception and same-sex marriage, one of the church's most hard-line generals was named Tuesday to head its historically important Baltimore archdiocese. The Vatican appointed Bishop William E. Lori, 60, of Bridgeport, Conn., the next archbishop of Baltimore, a move that observers say could thrust the city, where American Catholicism was born, into the center of two hot-button issues. "He's smart, he's articulate, he sticks to the party line," said the Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a Jesuit priest and senior research fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.

St. Ambrose Catholic School in Park Heights is closing at the end of the school year, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced Wednesday. "Due to the low enrollment, St. Ambrose has been unable to meet financial obligations, including payroll and health benefits for employees, without assistance from the Archdiocese," a statement from the Archdiocese said. About 120 pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade are enrolled at the school, and only 65 were registered to attend next year, the statement said.

The closure and sale of St. Peter the Apostle Church on Poppleton Street is, indeed, a great loss, both historically and architecturally ("Second-oldest Catholic church in city is being sold," Jan. 28). However, the ultimate tragedy is the insight this decision gives into the state of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. For the past 12 years, the Archdiocese has closed churches and schools in poor areas of town, while allocating money to "important" building projects (remember the "Heritage of Hope?"

A friend and I were discussing ArchbishopEdwin O'Brien's letter which was read in the churches of the Archdiocese a couple of weeks ago when we realized that we had both had the same reaction ("O'Brien's quixotic fight," Feb. 9). We had both considered walking out. The archbishop's letter was an over-the-top offensive attempt to demonize the federal government. These letters and messages were also sent out by many U.S. bishops. They are circling the wagons in a feeble attempt to portray a church under siege by an immoral government.

Cardinal-designate Edwin F. O'Brien said in a strongly worded letter that the Archdiocese of Baltimore will not comply with federal law requiring churches to offer birth control coverage even it means dropping health insurance for its 3,500 employees. "We cannot – we will not – comply with this unjust law," O'Brien wrote in the letter, which was read during last Sunday's Mass at the area's 153 Roman Catholic parishes. O'Brien's letter highlights a continuing dispute over federal health care reform, and a policy that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says is designed to improve care for women.