James Douglas Conley (born March 19, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska since 2012. He served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Denver in Colorado from 2008 to 2012.
Biography
Early life
Raised in a Presbyterian family, James Conley was born on March 19, 1955, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Carl and Betty Conley. He has one sister by adoption, Susan. Conley is of Wea Native American descent through his paternal grandmother's family. The family moved to Denver, Colorado, in 1957 and to Arvada, Colorado, in 1959.[1][2][3]
Conley attended Hoskinson Cottage School in Arvada before moving to Overland Park, Kansas, at age eight. Conley graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, in 1973, and then entered the University of Kansas (KU) in Lawrence, Kansas. Due to his Native American heritage, the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs paid for a portion of his college education. Conley studied in KU's Integrated Humanities Program, whose courses on Greek and Roman classics led him to convert to Catholicism during his junior year of college on December 6, 1975.[1][3]
Conley obtained a bachelor's degree in English Literature from KU in 1977, and then worked in construction in Kansas City, Kansas, before traveling through Europe. He considered a monastic vocation while staying at the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault in Fontgombault, France.[1]
In 1989, Conley went to Rome to attend the Alphonsian Academy of the Pontifical Lateran University. He received a Licentiate in Moral Theology in 1991.[3] After his return to Kansas in 1991, Conley was appointed as chaplain of the Newman Center at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas, and diocesan director of the Respect Life Office.[5] His parents converted to Catholicism in 1991; Conley administered the sacraments of baptism and confirmation to them.[1]
"have a few simple but important priorities. First, everyone should have access to basic health care, including immigrants...Second, reform should respect the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death... Third, real healthcare reform needs to include explicit, ironclad conscience protections for medical professionals and institutions so that they cannot be forced to violate their moral convictions. Fourth—and this is so obvious it sometimes goes unstated—any reform must be economically realistic and financially sustainable."[6]
In September 2011, when the Vatican appointed Chaput as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Conley was named apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Denver. He fulfilled this responsibility until July 2012, when the Vatican named Bishop Samuel Aquila as the new archbishop of Denver.[4]
In 2003, the diocese had participated in the first audit of implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. However, Bruskewitz later declined to participate in later audits, claiming that he was awaiting refinements to the audit process.[9] In 2015, Conley announced that the diocese would fully participate in the charter audits.[10]
On December 13, 2019, Conley announced that he was taking a medical leave of absence to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia, and tinnitus. The Vatican appointed Archbishop George J. Lucas was appointed to serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese during Conley’s leave of absence.[11] Conley returned to active service on November 13, 2020.[12]