Statement of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on Bishop Lori's Appointment as Archbishop of Baltimore.

The Knights of Columbus congratulates our Supreme Chaplain, Bishop William Lori on his appointment as Archbishop of Baltimore. His appointment to the Premiere See in the United States is a testament to his excellent spiritual, moral, intellectual and administrative leadership in the Diocese of Bridgeport and his leadership nationally as the Chairman of the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

It is notable that his new archdiocese has a long tradition in the area of religious freedom. Baltimore's first Archbishop, John Carroll was a stalwart defender of religious liberty in the early United States and cousin of Charles Carroll - the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. In addition Baltimore is a city that is very important in the history of the Knights of Columbus. In Baltimore, our founder, Venerable Servant of God Father Michael McGivney, studied for the priesthood and was ordained in that city's Cathedral by then Archbishop James Gibbons in 1877.