Cardinal Timothy Dolan Takes on New Role as Co-Lead of NYPD Chaplains Unit
In a surprising yet fitting development for one of New York City's most prominent religious figures, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has been appointed as co-lead of the New York Police Department's (NYPD) chaplains unit. The announcement, expected from Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, pairs the retired Archbishop of New York with Rev. A.R. Bernard, founder of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, to guide the department's spiritual support team.
Cardinal Dolan, aged 76, recently concluded over 16 years as head of the Archdiocese of New York, where he was succeeded by Bishop Ronald Hicks. Known for his approachable demeanor, media presence, and ability to bridge divides in a diverse city, Dolan has long been a fixture in New York's public life. His new role, which he will undertake part-time, marks a transition from leading one of the largest Catholic archdioceses in the United States to providing pastoral care directly to the men and women of the nation's largest police force.
The NYPD chaplains unit offers critical spiritual and emotional support to officers, their families, and sometimes victims or community members affected by incidents. Chaplains respond to crises, conduct blessings, offer counseling, and serve as a source of moral guidance in high-stress environments. With Dolan's appointment alongside Rev. Bernard—a respected leader in the Black church community—the unit gains leaders who represent key faith traditions in New York, potentially strengthening trust and outreach across the city's multicultural landscape.
Commissioner Tisch's decision highlights the ongoing need for robust chaplaincy services amid the challenges police officers face daily, from routine patrols to major emergencies. Sources describe Dolan and Bernard as "two of the most righteous people this city has ever known," praising their faith, compassion, and wisdom as qualities officers rely on in difficult moments.
This move comes at a time when Dolan, no longer bound by full-time archdiocesan duties, can dedicate his energies to hands-on ministry. His familiarity with first responders—built through years of attending memorials, blessings, and community events—positions him well for this service-oriented role. For many, it's a natural extension of his pastoral heart, now channeled toward those who protect and serve.
As New York continues to navigate complex social issues, having figures like Cardinal Dolan in supportive roles for law enforcement could foster greater dialogue between police and faith communities. The official installation is set to proceed soon, marking an exciting new chapter for both the cardinal and the NYPD.
On Sunday, another Yankee great had his number retired. Andy Pettitte, the famed starter who wore 46 had his number retired at the new Yankee Stadium. He was accompanied by Jeter, Mariano, Posada who had his retired the day before and many others. He received this honor despite his involvement with the use of human growth hormones. Though not illegal at the time, some see his record during that time as deserving an asterisk. Nevertheless, congratulations to Andy Pettite!
The day Yankee fans have dreaded is finally coming to fruition. Yankees renown shortstop Derek Jeter will be playing his final home game at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Jeter, a twenty year veteran decided this season would be his last. Unfortunately, the Yankees were eliminated yesterday so Derek Jeter will not be in the postseason. It is not sure if there would be a game tonight due to heavy rain. However, MLB has stated that it will try to get the game played.
I will update this post if the game is played**
The game is over with the Yankees being victorious. However, guess who won the game? If you have guessed Derek Jeter, then you are correct! The game was a bit nerve wrecking. As the crowds chanted 'Derek Jeter,' the Orioles hit a homer scoring the first run. This seemed to have dampened the mood of fans looking to see the last home game of the Yankee shortstop. They continued until the Orioles hit another homerun. However, Jeter would come up and hit a double bringing in the first run of the game. The Yankees would eventually take the lead. Jeter was obviously nervous. He looked emotional at times perhaps thinking that this was his final game and it would be the last time that he saw the crowd, heard the noises and played the game on the field.
As the 7th inning came, everyone thought it would be Jeter's last at bat. The game looked like it would go in the Yankees favor until consecutive home runs would tie the game in the 9th. Yankees closer David Robertson blew the save. However, in the bottom of the 9th inning with a Yankee on based, Derek Jeter would come up and hit one of his famous 'Jeterian' hits and brought in the winning run. The stadium blew up with excitement. Jeter ended his last game at the new Yankee Stadium in a magical way that seemed scripted. Only Derek Jeter can come into the batter's box and bring about what seems to be impossible plays that put the Yankees on top. It is no wonder why they call him "Captain Clutch."
His fellow players came on the field to embrace him. As he was celebrating with them, some of his older team mates were by home plate waiting for him: former manager Joe Torre, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, and Tino Martinez. Their presence along with the end of the game signaled the end of an era. Jeter's family was also present. We got a glimpse of his nephew Jaylin even tipping his cap to his uncle.
There will be no other player like Derek Jeter. He is truly a legend and will be missed. He deserves nothing more than Re2pect for being such a great player and class act who at the end of the game congratulated the Baltimore Orioles for making it to the playoffs even stating that they deserved it. Derek Jeter is a true role model in the sports world for young people.
Another thing that was interesting about the game is that it was with the Baltimore Orioles. The last
game at the old Yankee Stadium was played with the same time. What a coincidence that Jeter's last game at home was with the Orioles. It is interesting to note that the Yankees were once the Orioles. They were moved to New York and were called the "Highlanders."
Yesterday a special ceremony was held for retiring Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter. September 7, 2014 was "Derek Jeter day." Many of Jeter's former teammates came to pay homage to this great baseball player. Among them were, Jorge Posada, Tino Martinez, Bernie Williams, Joe Torre, Andy Pettitte, David Cone, Paul o'Neil and so forth.
Derek Jeter started his career with the Yankees in 1995. He won five World Series with the team and numerous other awards for his skills on the field. Jeter has participated in many All-Star games and has been the "face of baseball" since he was a rookie.
At the ceremony, he received many gifts, plagues and even a paid vacation to Tuscany, Italy. His family were in attendance and at the end, he gave a short but powerful speech thanking everyone, especially the fans who have watched him grow up and who he said he has watch some "get old" as well. Derek Jeter will not doubt be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has earned his place there with his many achievements, professionalism and gentleman personality. He is a class act! Not once did he even get into a brawl or argued with an umpire.
He replied to these with big hits or his famous "Jeterian" hits that seems to send the ball towards the opposite way from where he swung the bat towards. Moreover, he reaching 3,000 hits in a dramatic way by doing it with a home-run! These are things only the "Babe" was able to do which made him a legend. Jeter is the New York Yankees modern "Babe Ruth" and he will be truly missed. I was a mere kid when he started and have followed his career since. You know you made it big as a Yankee when even the Red Sox fans and other teams cheer you and celebrate your career. The Yankees will not be the same without him.
As I learned the news that Pope Benedict XVI resigned I was in shock like probably most of you reading this were.
How can the Pope resign? It is the Year of Faith! He hasn't even finished his encyclical that was supposed to be released at the close of the year.
The Cardinals and Vatican staff were even shocked when Pope Benedict XVI announced his retirement.
Before I give you my thoughts on the recent events, I want to briefly address a few things circling the media and internet:
Resignation means Scandal?
Naturally, in today's world full of scandals, the words "resign" has taken a more negative meaning. When we hear that word, we often think of scandal. President Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandals. Cardinal Law of Boston resigned over his handling of the sex abuse scandals. A mere Google search of the words "resigned" or "resignation" will bring about many links, most which deal with corruption, scandal, or just criminal acts. I think this is the reason the media used the word in covering the story as opposed to using retiring. They wanted to get this negative attention and arouse/insinuate wrongdoing on the part of the Pope. If the Pope resigns, then he must be doing something bad or did something bad and is stepping down [media logic]. Since his election in 2005, the media has tried to label Ratzinger as a criminal who moved priests around and who commanded that sex abuse crimes not be reported to the authorities. They even tried to link him with Hitler and the Nazis. A close examination of the facts shows this is not the case at all.
The Pope is Gay
Moreover, reports even surfaced that the Pope was homosexual because he happen to have Monsignor (now Archbishop) Georg Ganswein as his secretary. In the Italian media, Archbishop Ganswein is portrayed as a "sexy priest." He was even put on the front cover of the magazine Vanity Fair. Furthermore, the fact that he is moving in with the Pope after retirement is raising eyebrows in the liberal media and in homosexual circles. This of course is nonsense.
What is wrong with having a secretary assist you?
What is wrong with a male having a male secretary?
He knows the Pope well and is his right hand. Who else is more appropriate to be there assisting Pope Benedict XVI during his retirement? The Pope needs a familiar person around him to help him, speak for him and help him with whatever correspondence he encounters. The LGBT community wants to make everyone gay...
First, the Pope cannot be arrested period, anymore than the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom can arrest President Obama. Dawkins tried to have the Pope arrested when the Pope visited the United Kingdom but failed because it is legally impossible and no crimes were committed by the accused.
Second, the Pope committed no crime.
Third, the Pope will be living in Vatican city, so he has no need to get immunity from the Italian officials. Vatican City is a sovereign nation state.
Moreover, any attempt to arrest the Pope will bring about billions of angry Catholics. I seriously do not believe politicians would risk doing this bad publicity stunt.
"Vatileaks"
With the butler scandal, some speculate that the butler found out many things that eventually led to the resignation of the Pope. Again, this is not true. The Pope pardon him basically erasing his 18 month sentence. Moreover, the leaks did not contain anything out of the usual in regards to running an institution with different human personalities at hand. If the leaks mentioned that the Pope was homosexual or other damaging information, why would the Pope pardon him allowing him to walk free and be able to write books and talk to the media? This is again the media trying to find a story to publish.
My thoughts
The news of the retirement of Pope Benedict XVI brought a lot of sadness to me. I remember being at the Oratory in Toronto with other seminarians crowded around a sofa watching the "Habemus Papam" announcement and hearing the named "Josef Ratizinger" as the choice. We all erupted with shouts of joy. Within a few seconds, Ratzinger appeared out the Papal balcony with a humble smile, visibly nervous and obviously dressed in a rush since he still had black sleeves underneath the papal cassock and his mozzetta was a bit small for him and wrinkled. I still get goosebumps when I watch the video on youtube. Pope John Paul II was and is a strong presence in the Church. Who could have continued the Papacy after the mark that he left? Well, God doesn't let us down, he gave us "Papa Razi."
As an atheist, I heard a lot about Ratzinger as "God's rottweiler " He was supposed to be this mean old conservative dude who went after those who disagreed with the Church. As I got closer to the Church, I learned that this was not so. I saw Ratzinger as an intellectual who articulately wrote and spoke on God and the Catholic faith. My first book authored by him was, "Introduction to Christianity." I had to read chapters a few times over in order to understand because he is a very deep coherent thinker. He is a genius in every sense of the word. I continue to read his books and have his 3 book Jesus of Nazareth series which are a must have for every Christian and those interested in Jesus Christ for spiritual or academic reasons.
Ratzinger is a very humble man. I heard many stories of him as a Cardinal. He walked around Rome praying the Rosary and lived in a simple apartment. One thing I found in common with him is his love for books. St. Francis of Assisi for a while turned me off because he did not want friars owning books. To me this is a sin - shame on Francis. I love books and have thousands of them. Reading is extremely important and I stress this to my nephews and younger cousins today. Learning that Ratzinger wanted his personal library moved first into the Vatican brought a smile to my face because I requested the same thing when moving for my studies. So in him I found a fellow bookworm.
When elected Pope, Ratzinger - now Pope Benedict XVI said,
"Dear Brothers and Sisters, After the great Pope John Paul II, the Cardinals have elected me, a simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord."
He is indeed true to his words. His retirement shows this humility. He knows his limitations and knows that the Papacy and Church are bigger than the man representing them. Some Catholics and even anti-Catholics began quoting Philippians 4:13 against the Pope's decision which says:
" I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
They insinuated that the Pope did not trust "Him" who is Christ. If Christ gives us the strength to do anything, then why is the Pope retiring due to his age? The question is a valid one but does not take into account that Christ may not give strength for every thing. God is not some cosmic genie granting wishes to man. He has a purpose for each of us and gives us the appropriate grace to complete whatever purpose He ordained; granted we accept to fulfill it.
The Pope felt that God wanted him to give the Papacy over to someone younger and with more physical strength. This was a decision he freely made via his prayer life. It shows extreme humility that he would give up this powerful position in order to live a life of prayer and service. How many of us would give up the prestige and power of the Papacy? The Pope is indeed the world's most powerful figure. No one gathers the attention of the global people and media than the Pope. To Ratzinger, this meant nothing. All he wanted to be was the "simple and humble laborer in the vineyard of the Lord." This shows that Pope Benedict XVI wears the title "His Holiness" literally in his life.
Retiring is not something bad, nor does it mean that one lack's faith God's providence. It simply means that one knows his/her limitations and does not try to do more than he/she can which will lead to pride and vanity. His retirement shows humility. As Cardinal, Ratzinger always wanted to retire to live his days in prayer, study and writing. During an interview with EWTN's Raymond Arroyo, he says that he remained on-board at the Vatican because of Pope John Paul II. He felt he could not retire while the ailing Pope was deteriorating. He was loyal to him even to the point of sacrificing his own ambitions to retire. In a 2010 book, "Light of the World," he was asked about the Pope and the possibility for retirement, Pope Benedict had this to say:
"If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign,"
In Scripture we read this about retirement:
The Lord said to Moses, “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.” - Numbers 8:23-26
God clearly states that Levites over 50 must retire and no longer work. The Levites were priests who assisted at the Tabernacle in the Temple. God continues stating that they can assist their brothers but not do the work. This is what the Pope Emeritus is doing now. He vowed obedience to the new Pope and will continue helping the Church without actually doing the work of the Papacy.
Moses himself passed his authority to Joshua after advancing in age (Numbers 27:18). As you may know, Moses had the staff from which he worked the miracles of God. He obviously could have continued, but he knew his limitations, and respected God's command to let someone else take the helm, so to speak.
In closing, yes Pope Benedict's retirement is one that is a bitter-sweet thing. During his papacy, he did much to weed out corruption and clean the Church of the infestation of sexual perversion. He has restored the correct interpretation of Vatican II, expanded the use of the Tridentine rite, cleaned up the Liturgy, and went after dissidents in seminaries and convents. He found a way to bring Anglicans home, and opened the doors wider for Christian unity. He is a legend in every sense of the word.
Some were claiming that he was a bad choice because of the popularity that Pope John Paul II had; however, God gives each person a particular charism. All Popes cannot be duplicates of Pope John Paul II. Pope Benedict XVI had his own special charism via his introverted personality, intellectual demeanor and his humility.
He will truly be missed. I wish him the best and hope he will continue to write. I'm sure the new Pope will seek the advice of the Pope Emeritus.
Enjoy your rest Holy Father. Thank you for your service to the Church as Pope and now as Pope Emeritus.
No this is not a joke, he really did announce his resignation today. I am in complete shock and in sorrow at this moment. Benedict cites his advancing age as the cause for his resignation. He is the first Pope to retire since the middle ages.
Here is his text:
Pope Benedict XVI announced today that he will resign from his duties as Pope on February 28th, 2013.
The full text of the Pope's announcement follows. Please revist this page for more details. A press conference will be held in minutes at the Vatican press office.
Dear Brothers, I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer. From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
I will update this blog post as I learn more.
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The Holy Father, Pope Benedict VXI has decided to resign due to age. He stated in his letter that he is not able to carry on the duties of the Papacy due to a decline in health. Some speculate that he is suffering from a congested heart; however, the Vatican has announced that his resignation is not due to any illness.
This is not the first time the Pope has mentioned retirement. In a 2010 book, "Light of the World," he was asked about the Pope and the possibility for retirement, Pope Benedict had this to say:
"If a pope clearly realizes that he is no longer physically, psychologically and spiritually capable of handling the duties of his office, then he has a right, and under some circumstances, also an obligation to resign,"
It was obvious that Pope Benedict always had in mind the possibility of retiring. This is not the first time a Pope retires. Pope Gregory XII in 1415 was the last Pontiff to retire.
Dr. Scott Hahn, professor of Theology at Franciscan University had this interesting comment to make on Facebook:
Back on April 29, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI did something rather striking, but which went largely unnoticed.
He stopped off in Aquila, Italy, and visited the tomb of an obscure medieval Pope named St. Celestine V (1215-1296). After a brief prayer, he left his pallium, the symbol of his own episcopal authority as Bishop of Rome, on top of Celestine's tomb!
Fifteen months later, on July 4, 2010, Benedict went out of his way again, this time to visit and pray in the cathedral of Sulmona, near Rome, before the relics of this same saint, Celestine V. Few people, however, noticed at the time. Only now, we may be gaining a better understanding of what it meant. These actions were probably more than pious acts. More likely, they were profound and symbolic gestures of a very personal nature, which conveyed a message that a Pope can hardly deliver any other way. In the year 1294, this man (Fr. Pietro Angelerio), known by all as a devout and holy priest, was elected Pope, somewhat against his will, shortly before his 80th birthday (Ratzinger was 78 when he was elected Pope in 2005). Just five months later, after issuing a formal decree allowing popes to resign (or abdicate, like other rulers), Pope Celestine V exercised that right. And now Pope Benedict XVI has chosen to follow in the footsteps of this venerable model.
This is indeed interesting.
Can a Pope retire? Canon law has this to say:
"If it should happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office, it is required for validity that he makes the resignation freely and that it be duly manifested, but not that it be accepted by anyone" (Canon 332, No. 2)
It is rumored that Pope Benedict and his brother had planned to retire and live together. The Vatican has stated that Pope Benedict will be living on a monastery in the Vatican.
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