Yesterday, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City as apostolic administrator “sede vacante” of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
Born on June 4, 1949 in St. Louis, Joseph Fred Naumann would go on to graduate from St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in 1967 and from Cardinal Glennon College in 1971. He completed his theological studies at Kenrick Seminary in 1975, and that same year was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The archbishop serves on the committees on Pro-Life and on Marriage and Family Life within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and on the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary Board of Trustees.
The Archbishop of Kansas City also is the Chairman of the Kansas Catholic Conference. Founded in December of 1967 by Kansas’ Catholic bishops, the Kansas Catholic Conference serves as the official voice of the Catholic Church in Kansas on matters of public policy.
This appointment followed the Pope’s having accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansa City –St. Joseph. Bishop Finn stepped down after being criticized for handling of sexual abuse cases.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office Tuesday, Bishop Finn presented his resignation and was accepted by the Holy Father «in conformity with can. 401 § 2.»
This canon states that a «diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.»
Many criticized how Bishop Finn addressed the cases, but others rushed to his defense.
According to statistics from the Kansas Catholic Conference, there are some 413,276 Catholics in Kansas.
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On the NET:
More information on Archbishop Naumann: http://www.archkck.org/page.aspx?pid=574
Statistics on Catholic Presence in Kansas: http://www.kscathconf.org/about/
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Article on Pope’s Acceptance of Bishop Finn’s Recognition: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-accepts-resignation-of-embattled-kansas-city-bishop
Slug: pope-appoints-new-bishop-of-kansas-city
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