Archbishop Thomas Wenski: Tea Party conservative and church radical

Michael McElroy

Wenski delivers a special Mass for visiting Cuban priests at Miami's Shrine of Our Lady of Charity this past November 8.

Michael E. Miller

Wenski's sister, Mary Engle, shows off a photo of her brother meeting Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in June.

Details

Read our recent blog posts involving Archbishop Wenski: "Archbishop Wenski Says the Church Is 'Winning More Space' in Cuba, but Not Enough for Castro to Stop Intercepting His Phone Calls," "Willard Trent Sues Archdiocese of Miami for $5 Million Over Alleged Sexual Abuse," and "Walter Coleman, Retired Priest, Sued for Molesting an Altar Boy in Connecticut."

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More About

• Thomas Wenski
• Larry Pierre
• University of Notre Dame
• Roman Catholicism
• Religion

After Mass is over, Wenski stands on the steps of Our Lady of Charity, known as La Ermita to the Cubans spilling into the parking lot in small, boisterous groups. In the soft glow of the street lamps, the archbishop surveys the scene, from Mercy Hospital out to the bay. "This is a very emotional place for Cubans," he says. "They know that these same waters touch the shores of Cuba." Then he pauses as if measuring in his mind the distance to Havana. "These aren't easy times for me or Miami," Wenski says. "But as John Paul II once said, 'The trick is not to be afraid.'"