About William Henry Keeler
William Henry Keeler (March 4, 1931 – March 23, 2017) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of Baltimore in Maryland, from 1989 to 2007 and was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1994. He previously served as auxiliary bishop and bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. Keeler was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1992 to 1995. As archbishop of Baltimore, Keeler was known for his swift action against priests who had been accused of inappropriate conduct. Keeler also led a restoration of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, one of two cathedrals in the archdiocese and the oldest in the United States, which was completely repaired and restored to near its original appearance by 2006. Keeler was also recognized for forming strong relationships with people from other religious groups, particularly those of the Jewish and Protestant faiths. Keeler was also noted for his response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, choosing to publish the names of 57 priests who had been "credibly accused of child abuse" in 2002. However, the Diocese of Harrisburg in 2018 removed Keeler's name from its facilities due to his failure to protect victims of sexual abuse. With the start of the first session of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, Keeler served as peritus (expert) and secretary to Bishop George L. When The Boston Globe in 2002 began breaking the sexual abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston, Keeler's first response was to resist the media "feeding frenzy." Several cardinals commented publicly about the issue before Keeler.
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