Bishop W. Francis Malooly

**William Francis Malooly** (born January 18, 1944) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware.

## Biography[edit]

### Early life and education[edit]

William Francis Malooly, who is known better as Francis Malooly or W. Francis Malooly, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended St. Ursula School in Parkville before entering St. Charles College in Catonsville and later St. Mary's Seminary and University in Roland Park.[*citation needed*]

### Ordination and ministry[edit]

Malooly was ordained to the priesthood by his uncle, Bishop Thomas Austin Murphy, on May 9, 1970, in the parish church of St. Ursula, and then did pastoral work in Texas, Maryland and Baltimore.[*citation needed*]

Malooly was Associate Administrator, and later Administrator, of the CYO Retreat House in Sparks, Maryland from 1981 to 1984. He was then made Director of Clergy Personnel (1984) and chancellor and vicar general (1989) for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. In 1990, he was raised to the rank of an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness. In April 1999, he was awarded the President's Medal by St. Mary's Seminary and University.

### Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, Maryland[edit]

On December 12, 2000, Malooly was appointed auxiliary bishop of Baltimore and Titular Bishop of *Flumenzer* by Pope John Paul II.[*citation needed*] He received his episcopal consecration on March 1, 2001 from William Cardinal Keeler, with Archbishop William Borders and Bishop William Newman serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

In addition to his role as an auxiliary, Malooly was later named Western Vicar of the archdiocese, serving the thirty-eight parishes and six missions in Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, and Washington counties.

In 2006, the Bishop received the Cardinal Shehan Award from the Archdiocesan Youth Office, an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Mount Saint Mary's University in Emmitsburg. He is also a member of the Knights of Malta, and of the Board of Trustees of Good Samaritan Hospital, St. Mary's Seminary and University, and Mount Saint Mary's University.

### Bishop of Wilmington, Delaware[edit]

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On July 7, 2008, Bishop Malooly was appointed Bishop of Wilmington.[*citation needed*] He was installed in that office on the following September 8.

In October 2009, Malooly sought Chapter 11 protection for his diocese after obtaining financial settlements with victims of local child abusing priests.

Bishop Malooly has been criticized by Catholic news outlets for refusing to withhold Communion from Vice President Joseph Biden according to canon 915 in the Catholic Church's canon law.

Malooly was featured in the Netflix documentary, "The Keepers," where he was shown lying, via written communication, about his role in a meeting with a victim of abuse at the hands Father Joseph Maskell. Malooly failed to expose Maskell when Malooly was alerted to sexual abuse by Maskell in 1967. Instead Malooly transferred Maskell to Seton Keough Catholic school. Maskell sexually abuses several dozen children in the succeeding years he worked at the school.