One day after Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan was chosen to head the New York Archdiocese, some Catholic residents of the state are wondering how their new religious leader will handle such hot-button issues as sexual abuse in the church.

Some of the 2.5 million Catholics in the state welcome Dolan's conservative views and strict interpretation of the church doctrine, while others are concerned that the church needs to change.

Tom Malarkey, a member of the national Catholic group Voice of the Faithful, says he is worried that Dolan, who succeeds Cardinal Edward Egan, has an old-fashioned vision.

"I know the church has charitable missions, but they failed in their charity of victims of abuse by priests," Malarkey says.

Dolan has been reluctant to express his opinions on the subject of church sex scandals, giving little indication of how he will handle the matter in the future.

"I would hope you would understand my hesitancy to comment on it because I can understand its delicacy, and I don't want to put my foot in my mouth this early," Dolan says.

The archbishop adds that he is prepared to speak with elected leaders on controversial topics in what he calls an engaging, not confrontational way.