Pope Leo appoints McCarrick-linked cleric as new bishop for Metuchen
Bishop Michael A. Saporito was ordained to the priesthood by the late Cardinal McCarrick in 1992.
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Tue Sep 15, 2026 - 11:55 am EDT
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(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo has appointed a new bishop for the Diocese of Metuchen.
The new ordinary for the New Jersey diocese is Bishop Michael A. Saporito, currently an auxiliary bishop for Newark.
Saporito was ordained to the priesthood by the late Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, then the Archbishop of Newark, in 1992. The late Pope Francis appointed him an auxiliary bishop of Newark in 2020. Saporito was consecrated for the role by Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin.
READ: Pope Leo officially appoints McCarrick-linked bishop as new archbishop of New Orleans
Saporito’s career has not been without controversy. In 1999, he was made an assistant vocations director under then-Archbishop McCarrick, who was notorious among clergy in-the-know for his predations on young priests and seminarians.
As pastor of St. Joseph in Maplewood, NJ (2004–2011), Saporito started an “Open Arms” group for homosexual Catholics and employed an openly gay music director who had disclosed a same-sex relationship. After he left, the parish hosted Pride Masses and Rainbow Rosaries.
From 2023, he has taken part in in closed-door New Ways Ministry sessions for bishops on LGBT and gender issues. Allowing his name to be published, he said he “felt enriched” by the meetings.
New Ways Ministry is an LGBT advocacy group that has long dissented from authentic Catholic doctrine.
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