Pope names successor to embattled New Orleans archbishop after sex abuse settlement
Bishop James Checchio named coadjutor to prepare for orderly leadership as archdiocese moves toward settlement, bankruptcy and transition
ROME — Pope Leo XIV named Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey, as coadjutor bishop of New Orleans, two weeks after the archdiocese announced a proposed $230 million settlement for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
Checchio, 59, comes to New Orleans after handling the fallout in Metuchen from the 2018 sexual misconduct revelations involving a former predecessor there, and he previously served as rector of the U.S. seminary in Rome for a decade.
The New Orleans archdiocese announced Sept. 8 a proposed $230 million settlement to end one of the churchs longest-running abuse battles, lifting a previously proposed minimum of $179.2 million to more than 500 claimants. Survivors attorneys opposed the earlier offer as too low. Survivors have until late October to vote on the revised plan; if two-thirds approve, payments could begin next year.
Aymond, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 last November, is expected to remain archbishop until the bankruptcy is resolved and other pastoral matters are completed, enabling an orderly handover.
The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 rather than litigate each claim individually. Survivors say bankruptcy allowed church leadership to avoid facing tough questions in court.
In a statement, Aymond welcomed Checchio as his successor and said he planned to stay on through the bankruptcy and related work. Checchio said he was grateful for the opportunity and looked forward to serving the people of New Orleans; he is a Camden, New Jersey native with a degree in canon law and an MBA.
Aymond had resisted calls for resignation as the crisis spread, which triggered an FBI probe. An Associated Press investigation earlier this year reported that the archdiocese sought help from New Orleans Saints executives to assist with damage control.
Checchio’s Metuchen tenure included handling fallout from the 2018 McCarrick revelations; prior to his Metuchen appointment in 2016, he led the Vatican-backed U.S. seminary in Rome.
The appointment of a coadjutor in New Orleans signals an orderly transition as the archdiocese works through the bankruptcy process and the terms of the abuse settlement, a development closely watched in a church still grappling with the scope of clergy misconduct and accountability across the United States.