Seán Patrick O'Malley OFM Cap (born June 29, 1944) is an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 2003 to 2024.

[4] After he was ordained a deacon, the Capuchins originally planned to send O'Malley to work in their missions on Easter Island, Chile; he even learned the local language, Rapa Nui, in preparation.

[5] O'Malley was ordained a priest for the Capuchins at St. Augustine Church in Pittsburgh on August 29, 1970, at age 26, by Auxiliary Bishop John McDowell.

[6] In 1978, Cardinal William Baum appointed O'Malley as episcopal vicar for the Portuguese, Hispanic, and Haitian communities in the Archdiocese of Washington.

[7] O'Malley was appointed coadjutor bishop of Saint Thomas on June 2, 1984, by Pope John Paul II.

[9] O'Malley succeeded as bishop of Saint Thomas on October 16, 1985, when John Paul II accepted Harper's resignation.

[15] Known as a fixer in various Roman Catholic dioceses plagued by sexual abuse scandals, O'Malley was appointed by John Paul II as archbishop of Boston on July 1, 2003.

[20] On April 13, 2013, O'Malley was appointed to a group of eight cardinals established by Francis a month after his election, to advise him and to study a plan for revising the Apostolic Constitution on the Roman Curia, Pastor bonus.

He stated, however, that those who expected doctrinal changes from Francis on sexual ethics like abortion rights for women, contraception, and same-sex marriage would be disappointed.

[32][33] Archdiocese spokesperson Terry Donilon said that O'Malley was "really relieved" about the pope's decision and that "He loves being the archbishop of Boston and so we're pleased that that was settled right out of the box.

"[36] In a November 2008 interview with the Boston Globe, O'Malley said that he would not deny communion to Catholic politicians in his diocese who supported abortion rights for women unless the Vatican formally excommunicated them.

He called for less contentious political dialogue: "We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss."

He said he appreciated Kennedy's work for social justice, but that "there is a tragic sense of lost opportunity in his lack of support for the unborn".

In his letter, O'Malley praised a traveling exhibition created by LCWR that documented the work of religious sisters in the United States.

[45][46] Despite being required to enforce a zero-tolerance policy with regards to reporting sex abuse, O'Malley said that the archdiocesan staff handled the letter and never forwarded it to him.

[45] During the time the letter was sent, McCarrick and O'Malley were both working with Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega to mend relations between the United States and Cuba.

[48][49] McCarrick also accepted O'Malley's invitation to appear at the archdiocese "Celebration of the Priesthood" fundraising dinner in South Boston in September 2015.

[51] On August 15, 2018, the archdiocese announced that O'Malley would not attend the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland in order to review these allegations.

[52] In November 2019, a months-long independent inquiry, led by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, confirmed there were specific instances of inappropriate conduct at the seminary, but no pervasive culture of excessive drinking or sexual activity.

The new director of Caritas, Ralph de la Torre, announced the project as part of an effort to relieve the hospital system's financial problems while extending services to low income and underserved populations.

[58] O'Malley asked the National Catholic Bioethical Center in Broomall, Pennsylvania, to review the contractual relationship,[59] which theologians in a survey conducted by The Boston Globe in March had unanimously supported on the grounds that Catholic hospitals would not participate directly in providing abortion and the arrangement would allow Caritas to deliver much-needed services to the poor.

[61][62] O'Malley said:[57] Throughout this process, our singular goal has been to provide for the needs of the poor and under-served in a manner that is fully and completely in accord with Catholic moral teaching.

Catholic Charities President J. Bryan Hehir explained the practice: "If we could design the system ourselves, we would not participate in adoptions to gay couples, but we can't.

"[66] In December 2005, the lay-dominated board of Catholic Charities of Boston voted unanimously to continue adoptions by same-sex couples.

On March 10, 2006, after unsuccessfully seeking help from Governor Mitt Romney in obtaining an exemption from the state's anti-discrimination statute, O'Malley and leaders of Catholic Charities announced that the agency would terminate its adoption work effective June 30, rather than continue to place children under the guardianship of LGBT couples.