 A strong supporter of civil rights, open housing and community revitalization, Bishop Doll joined with Baltimore's Catholic Cardinal Lawrence Shehan in 1966 to publicly support open housing legislation in testimony before the City Council, despite boos and jeers from the public gallery.A friend and supporter of Presiding Bishop John Hines, Doll also became a visible proponent of the controversial General Convention Special Program, which responded to poverty and injustice in America's ghettos.Along with Cardinal Shehan (with whom he worked closely on many issues) and the President of St. Mary's Seminary and University, in 1968 Bishop Doll founded Baltimore's Ecumenical Institute, and continued as a trustee.