SIRIUS XM Radio Broadcasts First Interview With Archbishop Timothy Dolan and Edward Cardinal Egan Exclusively on The Catholic Channel

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Archbishop Dolan was named the next Archbishop of New York today by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI

Dolan sat for the interview along with the man he succeeds, Cardinal Egan, who is retiring after nearly nine years as Archbishop of New York

Exclusive one-on-one interview replays throughout the day on The Catholic Channel, SIRIUS channel 159 and XM channel 117; Audio can be heard at www.sirius.com/thecatholicchannel

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SIRIUS XM Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI) aired this morning the first interview with the newly-appointed Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, and the man he is succeeding in that post, His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, exclusively on The Catholic Channel, SIRIUS channel 159 and XM channel 117.

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This morning, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, announced that Archbishop Dolan, who has served as the Archbishop of Milwaukee since 2002, will be the next Archbishop of New York. Archbishop Dolan will assume the post on April 15, 2009, succeeding His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, who is retiring after nearly nine years in that position.

The interview, which was conducted by Catholic Channel program director Rob Astorino and aired live this morning from the residence at St. Patrick's Cathedral, will be rebroadcast throughout the day on The Catholic Channel. The audio can also be heard online at www.sirius.com/thecatholicchannel.

Interview highlights:

His Eminence, Cardinal Egan: "We're delighted to have the Archbishop here with us. I've known the Archbishop since the early 1990s. I was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Pontifical North American College when we had the good sense to ask him to be our rector. This is in Vatican City. And he did a splendid job as rector. I worked with him and we had a very good time together and I was delighted to know that the Holy Father was going to be naming him to New York."

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Archbishop Dolan: "What was it, about nine or ten days ago that it became final, that the Apostolic Nuncio called me and told me that the Holy Father had nominated me to be Archbishop of New York. I had been through that twice before, once when I was asked to be Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis and then when I was asked to be Archbishop of Milwaukee. Although, I think those two times the Nuncio said, 'The Holy Father would like you to.' This time Archbishop [Pietro] Sambi was very factual. He said, 'The Holy Father has appointed you Archbishop of New York.' And I really sensed the liberation of obedience. I said, 'Well, you know, there we go. Let's do it.' We trust in The Lord and go ahead. And I'm sure the first person he called was Cardinal Egan to tell him, too. So these have been days of prayer. These have been days of excitement and anticipation."

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Archbishop Dolan: "Those are two great Archdioceses, St. Louis and Milwaukee, but you know what you've got here in New York. Just to listen to the Cardinal, just to page through the diocesan directory, when you look at over 400 vibrant parishes, when you look at 279 Catholic schools, when you look at your massive Catholic charities. It is the backbone, especially so needed today with the economic duress that our great people are struggling under. And 200 years. You just had a magnificent bicentennial crowd with the visit of the successor of [Saint] Peter. You talk about a gem. Are there challenges? Sure. But where isn't there? In every family, in every business, in every parish there are challenges and I'm sure there are in the Archdiocese. The Cardinal has been very realistic in cueing me in on a couple of them. But in general, you talk about sound health, thanks be to God."

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Catholic Channel host, Rob Astorino: "What would be your first order of business when you get here? Once you get settled in what do you need to start doing?"

Archbishop Dolan: "I think to listen, to learn, to pray. There's an awful lot to learn and you can't be a good teacher unless you are first a disciple. So I just need to learn and the Cardinal has already started the tutoring. A lot of reading, a lot of listening, a lot of meeting people. You can't go wrong with just listening to your priests and your people. Do you have dreams? Sure. It sounds pretty much now like the greatest mission I have is to continue the excellent vitality and the growth and the progress of the Archdiocese of New York. Is that ever a blessing to inherit that."

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On The Catholic Channel on SIRIUS XM:

Archbishop Dolan: "The Cardinal said we can break into SIRIUS XM Radio and I said, 'Not if they're [airing] a Notre Dame football game, we can't!' That would be getting off on the wrong foot! But we appreciate this time and do I ever look forward to [it]. You talk about this year of St. Paul, what an excellent means of communication. Thanks for your work. God Bless everybody."

Astorino: "Thank you Archbishop and no Brewers [talk], this is Yankees/Mets territory."

Archbishop Dolan: "So I hear."

The Catholic Channel launched on SIRIUS in 2006 featuring a modern format with an open dialogue focused on Catholicism in the 21st century. The Catholic Channel's exclusive daily programming lineup features shows hosted by Cardinal Egan, Fr. Dave Dwyer, Gus Lloyd, Bob Dunning, "The Catholic Guy" Lino Rulli, and others. Programming on The Catholic Channel also includes human-interest stories and inspirational themes, reflections on Scripture, Church history, sacred music, shows offering spiritual guidance, and football and basketball games from the University of Notre Dame. Visit www.sirius.com/thecatholicchannel for more info.

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Released February 23, 2009