Paul Coakley was born on June 3, 1955, in Norfolk, Virginia, to John and Mary Coakley.[1] His mother was of French descent and his father of Irish descent.[2] Paul Coakley has an older brother, John, and a younger sister, Mary Christina. At age 2, he and his family moved to Metairie, Louisiana, where Coakley attended St. Mary Magdalen School from 1960 to 1965.[1]
The Coakley family then moved to Overland Park, Kansas in 1965, where he attended Cherokee Elementary School for two years. He entered Broadmoor Junior High School in 1967, then graduated in 1970 to Shawnee Mission West High School in Overland.[1]
Upon his return to Wichita, Coakley served as chaplain at Kansas Newman College in Wichita from 1987 to 1989.[1] He also worked as director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries (1987–1991), and pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (1989–1990). From 1990 to 1995, he served as associate director of the Spiritual Life Center and associate pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Coakley served as pastor of the Church of the Resurrection Parish from 1995 to 1998 before returning to Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland, where he was appointed director of spiritual formation in 1998.[1]
Coakley went back to Wichita in 2002 after his appointment as director of the Spiritual Life Center. In January 2004, Bishop Michael Owen Jackels named Coakley as vice-chancellor of the diocese. He also served as administrator of the Church of the Magdalen Parish from July to December 2004.[1]
On December 16, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Coakley as archbishop of Oklahoma City. He was installed on February 11, 2011, replacing retiring Eusebius J. Beltran.[4][3] After the announcement, Coakley remarked:
"This new pastoral responsibility is an opportunity and a challenge that I certainly had not sought, but one which I will eagerly embrace with all my heart."[5]
In August 2018, Coakley responded to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò's letter describing a series of warnings to the Vatican regarding sexual misconduct by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Coakley professed to having "the deepest respect for Archbishop Viganó and his personal integrity" and called for an investigation and a "purification" of the Church.[6]
Catholic Relief Services
On November 18, 2013, at the USCCB General Assembly, Coakley was announced as the new chair of the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS),[7] succeeding Bishop Gerald Kicanas. The international relief and humanitarian agency of the US Catholic Church, CRS operates in about 91 countries, and the board stewards a budget of over $700 million.[8] Coakley had been on the board since 2012, and at the time of his appointment, the agency was in the midst of responding to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Coakley described himself as "humbled" and "honored" to chair the 70-year-old organization.[9]
In his first months as chair, Archbishop Coakley undertook visits to Palestine[10] and the Philippines[11] to observe the agency's programs and meet with local staff and beneficiaries.
"To vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or genocide, would require a proportionately grave moral reason for ignoring such a flaw."[12]
Coakley later stated that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Joe Biden "misrepresented Catholic teaching on abortion" in their respective interviews on the TV program Meet the Press.[13]
Calling the victory of President Barack Obama in 2008 an "undeniable irony," Coakley said that the election of the first African-Americanpresident "signals that our nation has crossed a threshold in the struggle for civil rights". However, Coakley noted what he termed Obama's "denial of civil rights and legal protection to a whole class of persons as well, unborn human beings."[14]
In September 2023, Coalley condemned the execution of Anthony Sanchez that same month by the State of Oklahoma. Sanchez had raped and murdered a 21-year-old University of Oklahoma student in 1996.[16]Coakley remarked
“Today the state of Oklahoma has once again delivered what it deems ‘justice’ with the execution of Anthony Sanchez. No matter how heinous a crime a person commits, they do not forfeit their human dignity bestowed upon them by God, the author of life.”[16]
Religious freedom
In August 2014, Coakley criticized the municipal government of Oklahoma City for allowing a Satanist gathering at the Civic Center Music Hall, saying,
"If someone had come to them to rent the Civic Center to stage a burning of the Koran or to hold an event that was blatantly and clearly anti-Semitic, I think they might find a way to prevent it ... Not all speech is protected if there is hate speech and it is intended to ridicule another religion ... I don't believe it is a free speech matter."[17]
Transgender rights
In 2023, Coakley expressed his approval of Governor Kevin Stitt signing a bill that prohibited hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery for children under age 18 in Oklahoma.[18] Coakley wrote,
“It is always heart-wrenching to see a child in pain. There aren’t quick fixes to gender dysphoria, but through unconditional love, patience, and humility, families can navigate these tough topics."[18]
