William G. Curlin

Who is William G. Curlin?

William George Curlin is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Charlotte from 1994 to 2002.

Curlin was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1927, and ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1957, aged 29. From 1970-83, he served as pastor of St. Mary Mother of God Church in Washington, D.C. On November 2, 1988, he was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Washington and Titular Bishop of Rossmarkaeum by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 20 from James Cardinal Hickey, with Bishops Marino and Corrada del Rio serving as co-consecrators.

Curlin was later named Bishop of Charlotte, North Carolina, on February 22, 1994, being installed on April 13 of that year. In 1997, he reassigned a priest accused of sexual abuse after paying a settlement to one victim's family; Curlin later acknowledged that the same priest had told him in 1995 of an "indiscretion" involving a boy and had undergone psychological testing.

In 2000, he wrote a reference letter for a priest who was seeking a job with a Catholic charity in South Florida, despite accusations against the same priest of molesting a child two decades earlier. The bishop wrote the recommendation after the diocese determined the allegation was not credible.