Cardinal Joseph William Tobin, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Newark, is a progressive-thinking prelate who has strongly supported the cause of migrants, advocated for the LGBTQ community, and has a vision for the Church that closely aligns with that of Pope Francis.

Joseph Tobin was born on May 3, 1952, in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of 13 children. He attended Holy Redeemer Elementary School in Detroit and St. Joseph’s Prep College, Edgerton, WI. While at school he felt called to serve as a priest and applied to join the Redemptorists who accepted him as a candidate. He professed vows in 1973 and solemn vows in 1976.

As a novice, he continued his education at Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, WI, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy in 1975. From 1977 until 1979, he attended Mount Saint Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, NY, earning and M.A. in Religious Education in 1977 and Divinity in 1979.

Tobin was ordained as a priest in 1978 and quickly rose through the ranks of the Redemptorist order.

Between 1979 and 1984, Father Tobin served as associate pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish, Detroit, where he engaged in both pastoral ministry to the Hispanic community and youth ministry. In 1984, he was named pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish. He also served in a number of diocesan assignments within the Archdiocese of Detroit, including: Episcopal Vicar; member of the Presbyteral Council, and; official in the Metropolitan Tribunal.

In 1997, he was elected as the Superior General of the Redemptorists, a position he held for two terms until 2009. In 2003, he was also named vice-president of the Union of Superiors General. Tobin served as a member of the Council for Relations between the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the International Union of Superiors General from 2001 to 2009. In May 2009, the Vatican named him to oversee the professed men’s element of the 2010 Apostolic Visitation of the Church in Ireland.

In 2010, after a short sabbatical in Oxford, England, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Tobin to Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and he was consecrated archbishop the same year.

In 2012, Tobin was appointed the Archbishop of Indianapolis, where he served until 2016. It is not clear why Benedict chose to appoint him to Indianapolis after just two years in the curia, but it could have had to do with differences he was having with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith over the handling of a doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). The conference was facing questions over its theological orthodoxy.¹Tobin was “reportedly unhappy with the report content and the failure of the CDF to consult him before releasing it” regarding its report on the LCWR in April 2012

During his tenure in Indianapolis, Tobin had a dispute with then-Governor Mike Pence over the resettlement of Syrian refugees, making national headlines. Pence had ordered a stop to efforts to resettle Syrian refugees, a move Tobin called immoral and illegal and said the Indianapolis archdiocese would continue to welcome them.

Pope Francis elevated Tobin to the rank of cardinal in November 2016, making him one of the most prominent American Catholic leaders. Shortly after, he was appointed as the Archbishop of Newark, where he continues to serve today.

Throughout his ecclesiastical life, Tobin has been known for his advocacy for various social issues. He has been a strong proponent of immigration reform and has publicly supported undocumented immigrants. In 2017, he accompanied an undocumented immigrant to his deportation hearing, demonstrating his commitment to this cause.  He called on Catholic leaders to resist President Trump’s immigration policies during Trump’s first term.²Tobin said, “You really have to believe in inflicting cruelty on innocent people to choose to support the policies we’ve seen in recent months.”

Cardinal Tobin has been a consistent promoter of LGBTQ interests within the Church. In 2017, he welcomed a “pilgrimage” of gay and lesbian Catholics and their families to the archdiocese’s cathedral, and has spoken about the importance of the Church having “open doors” to welcome all. He also signed a statement supporting LGBTQ youth and opposing discrimination against them. He advocates changing the “intrinsically disordered” reference to homosexuality in the catechism, saying he hopes the language can be “less hurtful.” Tobin also endorsed Father James Martin’s 2017 book Building a Bridge which called on the Church to change her view on homosexuality but which was criticized by orthodox prelates and theologians.

The American cardinal expressed support for the Vatican’s 2023 declaration Fiducia Supplicans allowing pastoral blessings for same-sex couples, while emphasizing that the Church’s teaching on marriage remains unchanged.

The cardinal has progressive views on women in the Church. He has said women should be able to speak at Mass, have input on Church doctrine, be able to publicly dialogue with bishops, and play a role in decision making processes. He has also gone so far as to say that he doesn’t believe there’s “a compelling theological reason why the pope can’t name a woman cardinal.” He has aligned himself with Hofstra University professor Phyllis Zagano, a well-known advocate for women’s ordination to the diaconate.

Tobin has been a firm opponent of capital punishment and in 2020 joined others in appealing to President Trump to commute a death sentence.

He strongly opposes abortion and welcomed the overturning of Roe v Wade. He stated that “abortion represents a failure to recognize the sanctity of human life and promotes a culture in which human life in its most vulnerable moment is perceived as disposable.” He argues that abortion is not healthcare, results in “inhuman and lethal consequences,” and believes that if life is not protected, “no other rights matter.”

While acknowledging the grief caused to some Catholics following restrictions on the traditional Roman Rite, Cardinal Tobin has said he does not believe they have been “banished” from the Church. He noted there are still opportunities for it under current Vatican guidelines, though perhaps not to the extent some were accustomed to previously.

On sexual abuse, while Tobin has promised to be more open generally and about sex abuse cases in particular, there have been criticisms that he has not fully lived up to this promise regarding the results of some sex abuse cases. He was also criticized for lack of transparency in the wake of the McCarrick scandal and for not being as forthcoming or proactive in addressing the McCarrick scandal as some observers expected or demanded.

Cardinal Tobin has steadily grown in prominence during Pope Francis’ pontificate and is a member of several influential Vatican dicasteries. He is viewed by some American Catholics as part of a triad of progressive cardinals closely allied to Pope Francis, the other two being Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego. Tobin is considered the more conciliatory of the three, keen to build bridges with conservatives and moderates.

In 2018, Tobin became embroiled in a social media controversy when he accidentally posted a tweet which he said later was intended for one of his sisters.

Cardinal Tobin is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read several other languages.