Succession to Spellman

Churchly speculation on who would succeed the late Francis Cardinal Spellman as Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York mostly centered on familiar names. Rochester's Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was one much talked-about candidate; so was Detroit's Archbishop John Dearden, head of the national conference of U.S. bishops. Last week Pope Paul confounded all handicappers by naming as head of the nation's richest and most prestigious archdiocese a young and virtually unknown prelate: the Most Rev. Terence James Cooke, 47, one of New York's twelve auxiliary bishops.

There is some precedence for the Pope's surprising choice: Spellman himself was an obscure assistant to Boston's William Cardinal O'Connell when Pius XII named him Archbishop of New York in 1939. Cooke, who has both a warm Irish wit and an M.A. in social work, is regarded in church circles as a prelate whose style and approach will not differ strikingly from those of his predecessor. Reared in The Bronx, the son of Irish immigrants (his father was a chauffeur and construction worker), Cooke was ordained to the priesthood in 1945. In 1957, Spellman chose him to be his secretary. In 1965, after several rapid promotions, he became vicar general of the archdiocese, acting as Spellman's administrative deputy. He drew attention for being almost as good a fund raiser as Spellman and for his key role in arranging the Pope's 1965 visit to New York.

Cooke, a conservative in theology, declares himself a progressive in secular matters. At his first press conference last week, he seemed to back quick implementation of the presidential riot commission's report. Most questions he fielded nimbly: reminded of Spellman's call for "victory" in Viet Nam, Cooke replied: "I think what the Cardinal meant by victory was a quick peace." Chances are the new archbishop will become a cardinal at the next consistory, which will probably make him the second youngest member of the present Sacred College (Alfred Cardinal Bengsch of Berlin is five months younger). At his press conference, when asked about his youth, Cooke said: "I am sorry for that. You will all have to wait until I grow up a little."

The Pope undoubtedly weighed the merits of many clerics--including Archbishop John Maguire, 63, who has administered the see of New York since December--before making the choice. Perhaps the most persuasive factor was that Cardinal Spellman, shortly before his death, wrote a letter to Paul recommending Cooke as his successor.

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