[6][7] In Austin three years later, Aymond began tightening the diocese's sex abuse policy, based partly on the Matherne case stating: "That painful experience – I will never forget it.

The diocese grew rapidly (partly as a result of immigration) during Aymond's bishopric and actually had more churchgoers than many archdioceses, including New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Aymond has faced challenges in "the aftermath of years of sex scandals and the unpopular consolidation of parishes and closing of churches for economic reasons" as phrased by Kevin McGill of the Associated Press.

"[8] Shortly after his appointment as archbishop, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued a statement claiming he only "postures as someone who takes clergy sex crimes seriously".

[6] Aymond's predecessor, Archbishop Alfred Hughes, implemented a controversial post-hurricane Katrina church consolidation program that reduced the diocese from 142 parishes to 108.

This variation to the implementation of the Roman Missal third edition, set to take place definitively on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011, was authorized by the conference's president, Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan of New York.

[13] Bruce Nolan of the Times-Picayune describes Aymond as a "quiet pragmatist who prefers to promote Catholic values in and out of his church without the public confrontations some colleagues willingly accept.

'"[15] Aymond was one of more than 80 American bishops who wrote to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, to protest its award of an honorary degree to President Barack Obama due to his support of abortion rights for women and embryonic stem cell research.

[16] In October 2007, Aymond objected to the scheduled appearance of a dissident Catholic theologian, the Reverend Charles Curran, at St. Edward's University in South Austin, Texas.

Curran is a priest whose Catholic theologian title was stripped by the Vatican because he openly condemned the church's teachings against abortion rights for women, artificial birth control, and human sexuality.

In June 2013, Aymond issued a statement of regret that his predecessor, Archbishop Philip Hannan, and the local church leadership ignored the 1973 arson attack on a gay bar in New Orleans that killed 32 people.

[18]Gregory Michael Aymond KC*HS is knight commander with star and grand prior of the Southeastern Lieutenancy of the United States of America of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.