Chaput << shuh PYOO >> , Charles Joseph (1944-…), served as the archbishop of Philadelphia from 2011 to 2020. He had also been the archbishop of Denver from 1997 to 2011. Chaput was the first Native American archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.
Chaput became known as an outspoken social conservative. He encouraged Catholics to speak out more strongly on matters of public policy. Chaput has been critical of Catholic politicians who support women’s legal right to have an abortion. He also has firmly defended the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research—that is, a kind of biological research that uses cells from fertilized human eggs. Chaput also has supported strict obedience to church teachings.
Chaput became the archbishop of Philadelphia at a time when the archdiocese faced lawsuits involving sexual abuse of children by priests and a lack of oversight by a bishop of the archdiocese. As archbishop, Chaput took a tough stance against such abuse. Chaput also has been a strong supporter of evangelization—that is, spreading the gospel and expanding the church—and recruiting new priests.
Chaput was born in Concordia, Kansas, on Sept. 26, 1944. His father was French Canadian, and his mother was Potawatomi. Chaput’s Potawatomi name, Pietasa, means rustling wind. Chaput attended St. Francis Seminary High School in Victoria, Kansas. In 1967, he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Fidelis College Seminary in Herman, Pennsylvania. In 1970, he received a master’s degree in religious education from Capuchin College in Washington, D.C. The same year, Chaput became a Franciscan priest of the Capuchin order. Chaput also received a master’s degree in theology (the study of God and religion) from the University of San Francisco in 1971.
Chaput became the bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, in 1988. He served in that post until 1997, when Pope John Paul II appointed him archbishop of Denver. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Chaput archbishop of Philadelphia in 2011. Chaput retired as archbishop in 2020.
