Early life

Sullivan was born on June 10, 1928, in Washington, D.C.^[1] He attended St. Charles College and St. Mary's Seminary, both in Baltimore, Maryland.^[2][3]

Sullivan was ordained a priest by Bishop Bishop Peter Leo Ireton for the Diocese of Richmond on May 9, 1953.^[1] He served as associate pastor at St. Andrew's Parish in Roanoke, Virginia, and St. Mary's Parish in Hampton, Virginia. In 1960, he graduated the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with a degree in canon law.^[2] He became secretary of the diocesan Tribunal in May of that year.Sullivan was named chancellor of the diocese in February 1965 and rector of the cathedral in October 1967.

Auxiliary Bishop and Bishop of Richmond

On October 15, 1970, Pope Paul VI appointed Sullivan as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Richmond and titular bishop of Selsea. He was consecrated on December 1, 1970, by Bishop John Russell.^[1] On June 4, 1974, Paul VI appointed Sullivan as bishop of Richmond: he was installed on July 19, 1974.^[1]

Sullivan served on the boards of the Center for Theology and Public Policy in Washington, D.C.; the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in Richmond; the Christian Children's Fund in Richmond; the Catholic Committee of Appalachia; and numerous diocesan boards. He was a board member of the National Catholic Office for Persons with Disabilities and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In 1977, Sullivan established a joint Catholic and Episcopalian parish, Holy Apostles in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The church had separate altars for the two denominations. That same year, he established the diocesan Commission on Sexual Minorities to reach out to LGBT Catholics.^[1] When the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond was being planned, he made a $50,000 personal donation to it.^[1][3]

Sullivan served as bishop-president of Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement, from 1991 to 2001.^[3] He also served on the writing committee for the 10th anniversary statement of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' peace pastoral, "The Harvest of Justice is Sown in Peace" (1993).

Retirement

Sullivan's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond was accepted on September 16, 2003, by Pope John Paul II. In 2012, despite being debilitated from inoperable liver cancer, Sullivan temporarily left the hospital for a prison visit. On the Sunday before he died, 400 serenaded him outside his house, singing his favorite hymn, "Sweet, Sweet Spirit." Walter Sullivan died on December 11, 2012, in Richmond at age 84.^[1][2]

War

In March 2003, Sullivan criticized the US invasion of Iraq. He said that he regretted "that our nation's leaders have determined that war is necessary to resolve our differences with Iraq."^[1]

Capital punishment

In 2004, Sullivan made this statement about the death penalty:

"They send people to death because it is like a trophy to be exhibited: the more killed, the better it is. Elections are won this way in the United States."^[2]