[Bill Hemmer, Cnn Anchor:] There's a new leader of New York City's Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The Vatican says that Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Edward Egan of Bridgeport, Connecticut to that position. Bishop Egan replaces Cardinal John O'Connor who died last week of complications from brain cancer. CNN's Maria Hinojosa now with a look, a closer look, at the new spiritual leader of New York's more than 2 million Catholics
[Maria Hinojosa, Cnn Correspondent:] For 12 years, Bishop Edward Egan has quietly led the spiritual life of 360,000 Connecticut Catholics, but in New York, he will lead a church of 2.4 million who are increasing diverse and increasingly divided. He must be politician, CEO, a spokesperson for Catholic doctrine.
[Tom Drohan, Archdiocese Of Bridgeport:] In expressing his own opinion, he is a man who has reverence for the church, reverence for its traditions, and very honestly will be working in sync with the pope.
[Hinojosa:] Bishop Egan worked at the Vatican for 22 years. In Connecticut he is credited with creating a strong regional catholic education system.
[Unidentified Male:] He's like a nice person, you can talk to him. I mean, he's like a regular person, he's nothing big. He's real nice.
[Hinojosa:] He has raised millions for Catholic Charities, like this youth center, providing direct services like food and re-creation and counseling.
[Richard Stone, Inner City Foundation:] He's very interested in helping people in need. The number of organizations that are run directly by the diocese of Bridgeport, many of which we support through Catholic Charities: food kitchens and everything, you know he's helped to improve those.
[Hinojosa:] But like his predecessor, he is likely to confront controversy over the church's positions on social issues.
[Stone:] He's conservative and committed to supporting the accepted views of the Catholic church, and of the teachings of the church and of any directives from the pope.
[Hinojosa:] As Vicar of Education for the New York church in the mid-1980s, he suggested the public schools try these solutions to teen pregnancy: "Try decency, try chastity, try Western civilization," the bishop said in 1987, "or keep up the other method and wait for AIDS to put an end to us all."
[Matt Foreman, Empire State Pride Agenda:] Bishop Egan basically reflects exactly what Cardinal O'Connor said about AIDS, about gay people, about all a host of issues, and that is largely an insensitive and divisive approach to human behavior.
[Hinojosa:] The leader of New York's church has traditionally been a Cardinal, so it is likely the pope will soon grant Bishop Egan that title as well, further increasing his influence and stature. Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.