Francis John Mugavero (June 8, 1914 – July 12, 1991) was the Roman Catholic Bishop (later Bishop Emeritus) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. Currently, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is one of the largest dioceses, with more than 1,556,575 Catholics in Kings and Queens counties.
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He was born on June 8, 1914 in Brooklyn, and ordained as a parish priest on May 18, 1940, at the age of 25 years. His consecrators were Archbishop Luigi Raimondi (Principal Consecrator), Archbishop Terence Cooke and Bishop John Joseph Boardman.
On July 15, 1968, aged 54, he was appointed as the 5th (and first Italian-American) Bishop of Brooklyn and ordained two months later.
Bishop Mugavero was the first bishop of the diocese native to Brooklyn. The diocese is independent of the Archdiocese of New York, which encompasses the three other boroughs, Westchester and six other counties north of the city.
On February 20, 1990, aged 75, he retired as Bishop of Brooklyn.
He was a priest for 51 years and a bishop for almost 23 years by the time of his death from heart failure, aged 77, on July 12, 1991, while vacationing in East Hampton, New York. He died with the title "bishop emeritus".
The Bishop Francis J. Mugavero Center for Geriatric Care was later built in his honor in Brooklyn, New York.
Bishop Mugavero issued more than 20 pastoral letters strongly condemning abortion. He tended, however, to avoid public criticism of Catholic politicians who supported a right to abortion. He chose to meet such officeholders privately instead.
Bishop Mugavero of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn issued a pastoral letter defending the legitimate rights of all people, including homosexuals. He said that homosexuals had been "subject to misunderstanding and at times unjust discrimination".[1]
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| Preceded by Bryan Joseph McEntegart |
Bishop of Brooklyn 1968–1990 |
Succeeded by Thomas Vose Daily |