CINCINNATI — For the first time in 15 years, a new archbishop is taking the lead of Ohio's only archdiocese.

A long procession of priests and crowd of Catholics helped to usher in the new Archbishop Robert Casey into his new position. 

A procession of church leaders plus hundreds of Catholics who traveled several hours were waiting in anticipation on Thursday. 

“It’s just really cool to be invited and to be a part of something that’s pretty special only happens once every decade or every two decades,” said Scott Hartings, who was visiting with his wife from northern Ohio. 

“Looking forward to hearing words of hope for all of us and everyone who’s inclined to Jesus Christ and to look for him,” said Leandry Antico, who came from Chicago.

A special mass service followed as the new archbishop, Robert Casey, officially took his position in the Cincinnati Archdiocese.

“It’s been a whirlwind, trying to tie up my life in the Archdiocese of Chicago and make my way here to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati,” said Casey. 

He sat down with Spectrum News on the eve of his installation and talked goals for the church, starting on day one.

“I think one of my primary goals is building healthy relationships, especially in a time where we find ourselves more pulled into polarization,” said Casey. 

There’s a number of polarizing issues facing the Catholic church, including sexual abuse allegations.

“When we look at sexual misconduct, it is not something that simply affects the church, I came to know this as a young priest, you know, 30 years ago, that this is in our families, it’s in so many institutions and agencies of our society, and so it’s important for us to address it, it’s important for us to create safe environments,” said Casey. 

It’s issues like those that he said have been driving people away from the church, but he has a plan for that too.

“There’s a lot of misunderstanding about organized religion. We’re kind of seen as kind of suspicious, and so there’s been a movement away from institutionalized religions, not just catholic, not just christian and so it’s an opportunity for us as a church to really introduce ourselves to people,” said Casey. 

He said so far he has not talked about the issues with the now former Archbishop Dennis Schnur. Schnur was battling cancer when he announced his retirement back in February.

Casey said communication is key moving forward.

“From day one, it’s about a conversation, it’s about getting to know one another,” said Casey. 

Casey also said his vision for the church is in line with what the Pope has been saying about getting more women in leadership roles and becoming more accepting of people in the LGBT community.