John Wright (cardinal)

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John Joseph Wright (July 18, 1909 – August 10, 1979) was an American Catholic leader and cardinal. He served as prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome from 1969 until his death in 1979. Before that, he was bishop of Pittsburgh (1959–1969), bishop of Worcester (1950–1959), and auxiliary bishop of Boston (1947–1950).

Early life and priesthood
Wright was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He studied at Boston College and St. John’s Seminary in Boston, then went to Rome to study at the Gregorian University. He was ordained a priest in 1935 for the Archdiocese of Boston. He taught at St. John’s Seminary and worked as private secretary to Cardinal William O’Connell and later Archbishop Cushing. He was made a monsignor in 1944.

Bishop and archbishop
In 1947 he became auxiliary bishop of Boston. He was the first bishop of Worcester in 1950 and then was named the eighth bishop of Pittsburgh in 1959. In Pittsburgh, he opened the Bishop’s Latin School (a pre-seminary high school) and promoted music and culture, including inviting jazz composer Mary Lou Williams to perform and supporting the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival.

Cardinal and later years
Pope Paul VI created Wright a cardinal in 1969 and named him head of the Congregation for the Clergy, making him the highest-ranking American in the Roman Curia. He participated in the 1970s duties of the church and traveled to important events, including a 1972 trip to Auschwitz. He did not attend the 1978 papal conclave due to surgery but attended the following conclave in Rome that elected Pope John Paul II. He died in 1979 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at age 70 and is buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Legacy
Wright was seen as an intellectual who was liberal on social issues but conservative in theology. He supported civil rights and opposed the Vietnam War, but did not support ordaining women or birth control. Pope John Paul II praised him after his death. A Pittsburgh school and an award named after him honor his work with youth and the church.