About Humberto Sousa Medeiros
Humberto Sousa Medeiros (October 6, 1915 – September 17, 1983) was a Portuguese-born American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1970 until his death in 1983, and was created a cardinal in 1973. Medeiros previously serve as Bishop of Brownsville from 1966 to 1970. An ecclesiastical conservative, Medeiros was considered a champion of the immigrant worker, the poor and minorities. Medeiros was an outspoken opponent of capitalism, denouncing an economic system that "considers profit the key motive for economic progress, competition the maximum law of economics, and private ownership of the means of production an absolute right that carries no corresponding social obligations." His appointment as Archbishop of Boston was controversial among Irish Catholics, who viewed the Portuguese as "third-class Catholics". The protests against the new archbishop included vandalism against the local Catholic institutions and a burning cross on the lawn of the diocese's chancery. Medeiros criticized the American involvement in the Vietnam War and condemned the bombing of Hanoi in a 1972 Christmas homily. He strongly supported integration in the United States, but did not support desegregation busing; nevertheless, he refused to let parents enroll their children in parochial schools as a means of avoiding it. His policies on the topic of sexual abuse were controversial. Medeiros transferred John Geoghan from parish to parish, despite multiple credible accusations of sexual abuse by Geoghan. He personally knew of dozens of sexual abuse accusations against Paul Shanley. Pope Paul VI created Medeiros as cardinal priest of the Church of Santa Susanna in Rome during the consistory of March 5, 1973.
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