Episcopal career

Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle

On December 3, 1985, Wuerl was appointed titular bishop of Rosemarkie and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle.^[6] Wuerl was consecrated bishop on January 6, 1986,^[6] at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II. Wuerl and Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen worked in adjoining offices without conflict for several months until, in May 1986, they found themselves with opposing positions on proposed state legislation to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment.^[12] At that point Hunthausen learned for the first time that Wuerl had been charged with responsibility–"complete and final decision-making power"–for several key areas normally within the Archbishop's control: worship and liturgy; the archdiocesan tribunal that considers requests for marriage annulments; seminarians, priestly formation and laicized priests; moral issues; and issues of health care and ministry to homosexuals.^[13][14] The division of authority only became public when Hunthausen announced it in September 1986.^[13] While some chancery officials expressed support for Wuerl, some questioned his role and saw little impact a year after his appointment.^[12] In November, Hunthausen won support for his objections to the Vatican's restrictions on his authority from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.^[15] In February 1987, the Vatican announced that a commission of U.S. bishops would investigate the situation in Seattle, and Wuerl met privately with Pope John Paul II and declined to comment, saying "I'm just going to wait and see what the commission does".^[15] In May 1987, following a review by the commission headed by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Pope John Paul II restored Hunthausen's full authority as bishop, and appointed a coadjutor to assist and succeed Hunthausen.^[16] Wuerl later said the arrangement had been "unworkable". Following the restoration of Hunthausen's authority he moved to a Pittsburgh suburb to await his next posting.^[17]

Bishop of Pittsburgh

Wuerl was appointed the eleventh bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh on February 12, 1988^[6] and installed on March 25, 1988.^[6]
In 1989, Wuerl merged Sacred Heart and St. Paul Cathedral High Schools to establish Oakland Catholic High School (all three female-only schools) in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, using the buildings of St. Paul Cathedral High School.^[18]
Wuerl launched and hosted a television program, The Teaching of Christ, in 1990 and wrote an adult catechism with the same name. He taught at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as a distinguished service professor. Wuerl has served as a chaplain since 1999 for the Order of Malta, Federal Association, U.S.A., a division of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, commonly referred to as the Knights of Malta.^[19] Wuerl has also written regular columns in Columbia, the major publication of the Knights of Columbus in the United States.^[20]
Wuerl closed 73 church buildings, which included 37 churches, and reduced 331 parishes by 117 through merging while bishop of Pittsburgh; he was managing the remaining 214 parishes when he left in June 2006.^[21] Wuerl's plan, The Parish Reorganization and Revitalization Project,^[22] is now used as a model for other dioceses seeking parish suppression.^{[citation needed]} The mansion that housed Wuerl for over two decades, as well as his four predecessors, in the Diocese of Pittsburgh was sold since the new bishop, David Zubik, decided to live at St. Paul's Seminary. The Jacobethan Revival house along Fifth Avenue, at 9,842 square feet (914.4 m²) with 39 rooms, which include 11 bedrooms, six full baths, and a half-bath, had an appraised value of $1.5 million and is one of the largest homes in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh.^[23] As of March 2009, the property was listed for sale at $2.5 million; it formerly enclosed an extensive collection of antiques, Oriental rugs, and art during Wuerl's residency.^[24] The property was sold to an anonymous private trust for over $2 million.^[25]