Cote on ‘fast track’ for bishop position

A Catholic diocese in Connecticut is getting a bishop who is relatively young, fluent in French, and in the pool of traditional priests from which Rome likes to draw its bishops.

In fact, when Michael Cote was announced as Maine’s new auxiliary on May 10, 1995 – a Tuesday, the usual day of Vatican announcements – many Maine parishioners were not surprised.

If there is a “fast track” to the position of bishop, Cote would seem to have been on it.

The day of the announcement in 1995, the Rev. Frank Murray, pastor at St. Mary’s in Bangor, summed it up:

“It’s as though he has been on the hierarchical track from the day he started seminary.

“He trained in Rome, he went back to school and got a canon law degree. He’s very steeped in church tradition. He’s fluent in French and speaks Italian. He’s from Maine – he’s got everything.”

One of six children born to Paul and Margaret Cote, the bishop grew up knowing priests well – three relatives were priests, including Bishop Amedee Proulx, his mother’s cousin.

Cote’s vocational background is varied – a few years as a parish priest; eight years with the diocesan Tribunal, helping to process marriage annulments; and six years in Washington as a secretary at the Vatican’s official embassy to this country, the Apostolic Nunciature.

He did day-to-day scheduling as well as research into issues of canon law. The office dealt with everything from correspondence about female altar servers to media questions about Panama’s Manuel Noriega holing up in a Catholic embassy.

Once he took office as auxiliary in Maine, Cote became the first bishop to live outside Portland. He lived at Holy Family Parish in Old Town, though he traveled to Portland regularly.

Cote is the only Maine auxiliary to have been appointed by Pope John Paul II. Proulx had been named by Pope Paul VI.

It was nearly a year and a half after Proulx died – he had had a long fight with cancer – that the pope made his appointment.

But Bishop Gerry did have some assistance during that time. The Most Rev. Edward O’Leary, his predecessor who had retired due to ill health, improved after leaving the post. He frequently lent a hand by presiding at confirmations and performing other duties when needed.

As Maine’s auxiliary bishop, Cote has had to deal with the church abuse scandal. But at 53, he is a generation removed from many of the aging church leaders who have been involved, including outgoing Norwich Bishop Daniel A. Hart.

Cote will be installed as bishop of Norwich, Conn., on May 14. His duties there will be larger than in Maine’s statewide diocese, where his role has been largely ceremonial, according to Sue Bernard, diocese spokeswoman.

Cynthia Desrosiers, a longtime advocate for Maine victims of clerical sex abuse, said her contact with Cote had been limited to a few sessions where church leaders met with alleged victims.

While she expressed doubts about the Catholic leadership’s ability to treat abuse victims fairly, she had positive memories of Cote’s role in the listening sessions.

“I did see the personal side of him, and felt that he did certainly understand and feel compassion for the survivors,” Desrosiers said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.