NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - The bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts, will be chosen as the successor of New York's Cardinal John O'Connor, according to a report by the New York Daily News today.

    The newspaper quoted Church sources as saying Bishop Sean O'Malley, 55, who leads the diocese that includes Cape Cod and tony Martha's Vineyard as well as blue-collar New Bedford and Fall River, has been placed at the top of the Vatican's list. "Remember, John O'Connor was a surprise, too," the source told the Daily News, referring to the selection in 1984 of the then-bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to succeed the late Terence Cardinal Cooke.

    Before he was appointed to Fall River eight years ago, Bishop O'Malley, a Capuchin Franciscan known for often wearing his friar's robes instead of more formal wear, was bishop of St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. He also speaks several languages, including Spanish, an important consideration in multi-ethnic New York.

    The recent appointment of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law to the Vatican's Congregation of Bishops may influence Bishop O'Malley's high-ranking on the short list of successors. Cardinal Law is a close friend of both Cardinal O'Connor and his neighbor, Bishop O'Malley. An announcement could come from the Vatican as early as Tuesday.

    Cardinal O'Connor first submitted his resignation from his office five years ago on his 75th birthday according to canon law, but after undergoing brain surgery for a tumor last year, speculation that a successor would be named soon was stepped up. The cardinal canceled his customary celebration of Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday because of weakness, spokesman Joseph Zwilling said.

    "The cardinal has been experiencing weakness during this week, and doctors have some concern about his health at present," Zwilling said. "While he's been weak before, it seems to have been much more pronounced during this past week."