| Most Rev. Adam Joseph Exner | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Vancouver | |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Diocese | Archdiocese of Vancouver |
| Enthroned | 1991 |
| Reign ended | 2004 |
| Predecessor | James Francis Carney |
| Successor | Raymond Roussin |
| Other posts |
Bishop of Kamloops 1974 Archbishop of Winnipeg 1982 |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1957 - Priest |
| Consecration | 1974 - Bishop |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Adam Joseph Exner |
| Born | December 24, 1928 Killaly, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Alma mater | University of Ottawa Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome |
Adam Joseph Exner (born December 24, 1928 in Killaly, Saskatchewan, Canada) was the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver from 1991 to 2004.
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Adam Exner holds Masters degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and holds a Doctoral degree in theology from the University of Ottawa. He served as professor, rector and superior at St. Charles Scholasticate in Battleford, Saskatchewan, and as professor of moral theology at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta. Exner speaks English, French, German, Italian, Latin & Spanish.
Exner entered the religious order of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1950 in St. Norbert, Manitoba and was ordained as a priest in 1957. In 1974, Exner was appointed Bishop of Kamloops and in 1982, Archbishop of Winnipeg.
Adem Exner was appointed Archbishop of Vancouver on May 25, 1991. He served in that position until reaching the mandatory retirement for Archbishops in January 2004. That year, the Catholic Civil Rights League created the Archbishop Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life in honour of the occasion. Exner now resides at St. Peter's Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan.
In 1995, Archbishop Exner secured from then-Premier Michael Harcourt, the Denominational Health Association which was a legacy of his predecessor, Archbishop James Francis Carney. [1] During his tenure, Archbishop Exner objected to the attempts of Minister of Health, Colin Hansen, to close St. Mary's Hospital.[1]
While Exner was Archbishop of Vancouver, civil litigation resulting from the Mount Cashel Orphanage sexual and physical abuse scandal threatened assets of the Congregation of Christian Brothers located in British Columbia. These included Vancouver College & St. Thomas More Collegiate, which faced closure and liquidation in order to pay the victims.</ref>CBC Story - Cashel Schools</ref> Archbishop Exner was closely involved with the efforts to prevent the closure of those schools.[1][2]
Archbishop Exner assisted Covenant House, a home for runaway street kids, in establishing a branch of its services into Vancouver.[1]
Under direction from Archbishop Exner, the Archdiocese of Vancouver sought and obtained intervenor status during litigation involving Trinity Western University relating to its training policies. The litigation involved a dispute between Trinity Western, a Christian university, and the British Columbia College of Teachers, which believed that TWU could not train teachers for public schools because it required students to abstain from homosexual relations. TWU won in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.[1][3]
In 2003, Exner directed four Catholic schools to divest from a school banking program operated by VanCity, in protest of the Archdiocese's position that VanCity was actively promoting homosexuality through its sponsorship of a homosexual film festival and by giving an award to a lesbian bookstore.[4][5] Following Archbishop Exner's pronouncement, homosexual advocates directed protests against the Archdiocese.[6]
In his role as Archbishop, Exner became a member of the following:
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Alphonsus Harrington |
Bishop of Kamloops 1974–1982 |
Succeeded by Lawrence Sabatini |
| Preceded by George Bernard Flahiff |
Archbishop of Winnipeg 1982–1991 |
Succeeded by Leonard James Wall |
| Preceded by James Francis Carney |
Archbishop of Vancouver 1991–2004 |
Succeeded by Raymond Roussin |