Top 27 Quotes & Sayings by William P. Leahy

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American educator William P. Leahy.

Last updated on April 16, 2025.

William P. Leahy is the 25th President of Boston College, a post he has held since 1996, making him the longest serving president in the school's history as of July 31, 2020. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and raised in Imogene, Iowa. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1967, and is a member of the Jesuits' Midwest Province. Leahy earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in United States history at Saint Louis University in 1972 and 1975, respectively. He then began studies at the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in Berkeley, California, where he earned degrees in theology (1978) and historical theology (1980). He was ordained a priest in 1978. He received a doctoral degree in U.S. history from Stanford University in 1986.

American - Educator | Born: 1948

Source: Wikipedia

Some of the speakers we bring on campus may not reflect official church teaching, but that's how it is.

William P. Leahy

The hierarchy shouldn't fear what we're doing.

William P. Leahy

I am very confident that the Spirit is with us.

William P. Leahy

Now where people are - at least the people I talk to - they are focused on issues of trust. Accountability also comes up, to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

William P. Leahy

This is a crisis, but there is an opportunity to help revitalize and renew the Catholic community.

William P. Leahy

I think the issue of clergy sexual abuse sparked people to look at their faith in a different way.

William P. Leahy

The church may hold whatever it holds with regard to clerical celibacy.

William P. Leahy

We are the meeting place, an entity that's trying to connect faith and culture.

William P. Leahy

We've always had issues up for discussion at Catholic universities.

William P. Leahy

Individuals will speak their minds, which I think is healthy.

William P. Leahy

I think we can work through a lot of these issues.

William P. Leahy

I would say the hierarchy has made terrible errors in judgment and it has to seek forgiveness by its members.

William P. Leahy

As a university, we're not focused on bringing about huge reforms - that's not our role.

William P. Leahy

By no means do I anticipate screening those who come on to campus... And I have no difficulty if a bishop across the country or some local pastor may say that's not Catholic teaching - that's fine.

William P. Leahy

BC is not going to replace the hierarchy, and BC is not going to lead some major reform in the Catholic Church - that's got to come out of the whole Catholic community.

William P. Leahy

Clearly there are individuals who don't understand what the church teaches, or they think it's so limiting.

William P. Leahy

No organization, whether it's police or physicians or whatever, wants to have its errors held up to the light of day, but it's wrong, as is coming out so well.

William P. Leahy

I say let's respond as best we can to the victims and their families.

William P. Leahy

You know how the church has been hit so hard by the sexual misconduct by clergy, and what's that's done to Catholics, especially here in Boston but elsewhere as well.

William P. Leahy

The more we can get together and talk about various perspectives, feelings, beliefs, the better.

William P. Leahy

One of the biggest issues that we face is that we have people who have their own particular concerns, whether it's on abortion, birth control, divorce and remarriage, civil rights or social justice.

William P. Leahy

I would be with those who say the hierarchy in the United States has badly mishandled this whole situation.

William P. Leahy

What I think we can do is help individuals understand the church teaching, but also maybe help the church understand the viewpoint of lay men and women about what they want in regard to priests, or how do they want the hierarchy to deal with them?

William P. Leahy

The Spirit hasn't deserted the church today.

William P. Leahy

Others don't want to listen to viewpoints that members of the church have.

William P. Leahy

What we're about is a manifestation of the Catholic roots of Boston College.

William P. Leahy

The challenge for the church is how do we have unity about basic beliefs and yet respect individual differences.

William P. Leahy