LOS ANGELES, California, MARCH 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Cardinal Roger Mahoney, archbishop of Los Angeles, who reached the age of retirement on Sunday.
The cardinal is succeeded by Archbishop José Gómez, 59, who was appointed coadjutor for that archdiocese last April.
In his blog on the archdiocesan Web site, Cardinal Mahoney stated: «People ask whether I am sad at moving to the new title of ‘Archbishop Emeritus.’ Absolutely not.
«My understanding of the Church is that Jesus Christ remains the heart and center of our Church, and we bishops come and go down through salvation history.»
«We are not called to develop nor to leave ‘legacies,’ but rather, to be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Gospels,» the prelate noted. «We accept the Gospel, we try to live it out and to pass it on, and then we move aside so that the Lord might call others to continue the active work in the vineyard of the Lord.»
Cardinal Mahoney, after celebrating a Mass of transition on Sunday to install Archbishop Gómez, is currently in Rome for meetings with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
The Vatican also announced today that the Pope appointed Auxiliary Bishop Peter Hundt of Toronto as bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador, Newfoundland.
Bishop Hundt, 54, succeeds Bishop David Crosby, who was named bishop of Hamilton, Ontario last September.
The Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador has 41,800 Catholics, 40 priests and 18 religious.
The Pontiff also named Auxiliary Bishop Robert Daniels of London, Ontario, as bishop of Grand Falls, Newfoundland.
Bishop Daniels, 53, succeeds Bishop Martin Currie, 67, whose resignation was accepted by the Holy Father.
The Grand Falls Diocese has 38,300 Catholics, 30 priests and 20 religious.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, Benedict XVI named Bishop Antoine Vu Huy Chuong of Hung Hoa, 66, as bishop of Da Lat.
The Da Lat Diocese has 326,120 Catholics served by 181 priests and 1,093 religious.
The Pope also named Auxiliary Bishop Jean Marie Vu Tat, 67, of Hung Hoa as bishop of the same diocese.
The Hung Hoa Diocese has 222,647 Catholics, 54 priests and 191 religious.
Syriac Catholic Church
The Vatican announced today that the Holy Father gave his consent to various canonical elections made by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Syriac Catholic Church.
Father Bouros Moshe, «protosincellus» (vicar general) of the Syriac Archeparchy of Mossul, Iraq, was named the Syriac archbishop of Mossul.He succeeds Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa, who was transferred to the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Curia.
The Syriac Archeparchy of Mossul has 35,000 Catholics, 36 priests and 55 religious.
Father Yousif Abba, chancellor of the Syriac Catholic eparchy of the United States and Canada, was named the Syriac archbishop of Baghdad, Iraq.
He succeeds Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka, who resigned from that position.
The Baghdad Archeparchy has some 18,000 Catholics and seven priests.
Lastly, Father Jihad Battah, «protosincellus» (vicar general) of the Syriac Archeparchy of Damascus, Syria, was named bishop of the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Curia.
