Michael Burbidge was born on June 16, 1957, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Francis and Shirley (Lilley) Burbidge. He has a brother, Francis Burbidge. Upon being confirmed, Michael Burbidge chose Francis as his confirmation name. As a teenager, he worked at a Sears department store.[1][2]
Burbidge was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Krol for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 19, 1984.[4] After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Burbidge as associate pastor at St. Bernard's Parish in Philadelphia until 1986. He then served as a teacher at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, from 1986 to 1990.[2]
From 1990 to 1991, Burbidge was assigned to the faculty of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pennsylvania. He then became a teacher and dean of students at St. Charles Seminary in 1991. [2]
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua appointed Burbidge as his priest secretary in 1992, a position he held for the next seven years. The Vatican raised Burbidge to the rank of Honorary Prelate in 1998. In 1999, Bevilacqua named Burbidge as rector of St. Charles Seminary.[2]
As auxiliary bishop, Burbidge worked in the archdiocesan Office Center to assist the archbishop with administrative duties. These included overseeing the office of the vicar for clergy, the Office of Communications, and The Catholic Standard & Times. He also served as a regional bishop.
After the tornado outbreak of April 2011, which killed 24 people in North Carolina and nearby states, Burbidge urged Catholics to include victims and survivors in their Holy Week prayers.[8] He directed the parish and mission churches to hold a special collection for the disaster survivors.[9] On November 29, 2016, Burbidge celebrated his last public mass as bishop of Raleigh at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary, North Carolina.[10]
In March 2007, a group of protesters, some alleged victims of clerical sexual abuse, stood outside the offices for the Diocese of Raleigh, claiming that Burbidge refused to meet with them. Diocese spokesman Frank Morock denied those claims, stating that the diocese "has always been very open to any victim who has stepped forward."[11]
In 2009, a 16 year-old boy reported to the diocese that he had been sexually abused by Reverend Edgar Sepulveda, a priest at the Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús Mission in Beulaville, North Carolina. Burbidge put Sepulveda on administrative leave, prohibiting him from visiting any parish or Catholic school, and removed him from residence on church grounds. The diocese reported the accusations immediately to police.[12] Sepulveda was arrested in 2010 and charged with second-degree sexual offense and sexual battery. However, prosecutors dropped the charges in 2012, citing a lack of evidence.[13][14] The victim sued the diocese and Burbidge in 2015.[15][16]
Burbidge released a statement on October 6, 2016, in which he vowed to continue the diocese's outreach for victims of clerical sexual abuse and to personally reach out to victims.[19] He continued on the outreach program, holding masses for victims of abuse.[20]
On August 22, 2017, Reverend William Aitcheson admitted to being a member of the Ku Klux Klan while a college student in the 1970s. Aitcheson announced that he would temporarily step down from his post at St. Leo the Great Catholic Parish in Fairfax, Virginia. Burbidge released a statement referring to Aitcheson's past as "sad and deeply troubling" while hoping that his conversion of heart would inspire others.[23][24]
On August 3, 2018, Burbidge expressed his anger and sadness regarding the allegations of sexual abuse by former Cardinal McCarrick.[25] He stated that bishops must be held accountable for their actions.[26][27] Burbidge was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and was treated through surgery on November 27, 2018.[28] On February 13, 2019, Burbidge and Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond released a list of clergy who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the two dioceses between 1974 and 2019.[29]
In January 2022, Burbidge issued regulations for the Diocese of Arlington regarding Pope Francis' motu propio Traditionis custodes. He permitted celebration of the extraordinary form of the mass to continue in 21 parishes, but suspended the celebration of any "new celebrations of the Sacraments" in the extraordinary form. This decision was made after the Vatican's responsa ad dubia was issued the previous month, which constituted a non-authoritative attempt to suppress the celebration of sacraments according to the ancient forms of the Rituale Romanum and the Pontificale Romanum.[30][31][32]
In July 2022, Burbidge restricted the extraordinary form to only eight parishes; in five of those eight, the mass could only be celebrated in a building other than the main church.[33]
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
At the November 2017 plenary assembly of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Burbidge was elected as chair of the Communications Committee.[34] He became the chair for the 2018–2021 term.[35][a]
At the November 2022 plenary assembly, Burbidge was elected chair of the Pro-Life Activities Committee. His term as chair was to end in 2024.[37]
Viewpoints
Abortion
Burbidge was described in a 2022 Catholic News Agency article as a "seasoned communicator" and a "staunch defender of the right to life", citing his banning of Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, from receiving communion in the Diocese of Arlington for her defense of abortion rights for women.[37][38]
In June 2022, Burbidge called upon U.S. President Joe Biden to publicly repent for his support of abortion rights.[39]
Immigration
In January 2017, Burbidge spoke out against U.S. President Donald Trump's Executive Order 13769, which barred refugees and immigrants from several Middle Eastern nations from entering the United States for 90 days, limited the number of refugee arrivals to the United States to 50,000 for 2017, suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, and barring refugees from the Syrian Civil War from entering the United States indefinitely.[40][41] Burbidge encouraged American Catholics to contact their elected officials and voice their opposition to the new policy and to pray for immigration reform, stating that the Diocese of Arlington and other Catholic communities would continue to welcome refugees.[42][43][44]
In September 2017, Burbidge responded to Trump's decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by calling on Catholics to keep all people protected by DACA, and all government officials, in their prayers. He referred to Trump's decision as "disheartening" and stated that the United States government has a responsibility to protect those who are in the United States under the protection of DACA.[45]
LGBTQ rights
In 2012, Burbidge voiced his support for North Carolina Amendment 1 and criticized U.S. President Barack Obama's opposition to it.[46] Amendment 1 defined civil marriage as between one man and one woman. Opponents argued that Amendment 1 discriminated against LGBTQ people; Burbidge argued that it was not discriminatory.[47] He received criticism for supporting the legislation.[48] Amendment 1 passed, but was declared unconstitutional in US federal court on October 10, 2014.
On May 6, 2016, Burbidge criticized the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016. The act requires individuals to only use restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates and was seen as discriminatory against members of the LGBTQ community. Burbidge proposed that "...another remedy to the unfortunate situation created by the Charlotte Ordinance and HB2 should be considered..."[50] and hoped that any legislative solution would
"...defend human dignity; avoid any form of bigotry; respect religious liberty and the convictions of religious institutions; work for the common good; and be discussed in a peaceful and respectful manner."[51]
On August 12, 2021, Burbidge released a pastoral letter, Catechesis on the Human Person and Gender Ideology, in which he explained the church's stance on transgenderism. In the letter, Burbidge criticized the use of preferred gender pronouns when addressing transgender people.[52] He also stated that "no one is transgender" and accused people identifying as transgender of "rejecting truth."[53]
Social justice
In 2013, Burbidge indicated his support for the Moral Mondays protests in North Carolina. It was a movement started by religious progressives encouraging civil disobedience and arguing for reforms to North Carolina laws regarding the environment, racial justice, gender equality, social programs, and education. Burbidge signed A Joint Statement by Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Methodist Leaders in North Carolina, but did not permit Catholic priests to join the protests.[54][55][56]
Following the Unite the Right rally that took place August 11 and 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of the Robert E. Lee Monument, Burbidge called the ensuring violence "saddening and disheartening." He condemned violence, racism, bigotry, hatred and "self-proclaimed superiority", denouncing "any form of hatred as a sin."[57][58][59]
^Neal Augenstein (October 4, 2016). "New bishop of Diocese of Arlington vows to reach out to sex abuse victims". wtop.com. WTOP. Retrieved August 18, 2018. Bishop Michael Burbidge, newly-appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, vows to personally reach out to victims of clergy sexual abuse, and "to accompany them in this process of healing."
^Michael Burbidge (August 3, 2018). "Walk Humbly Podcast". Catholic Diocese of Arlingon. Retrieved August 18, 2018. In the August 3, 2018 episode of the Walk Humbly Podcast, Bishop Burbidge expressed his sadness and anger regarding the allegations of sexual abuse by Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, former Archbishop of Washington.
.svg)
