SOUTHWARK, England, APRIL 30, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff, Wales, as archbishop of Southwark.
The Vatican announced today that Archbishop Smith, 66, will succeed Archbishop Kevin McDonald, who resigned in December for medical reasons.
Born in Battersea, England, which is in the Diocese of Southwark, Peter Smith was ordained in 1972.
He served as rector of St. John’s Seminary for a decade, until he was appointed bishop of East Anglia in 1995. In 2001, he became archbishop of Cardiff.
Upon hearing of his appointment, Archbishop Smith stated, «It is good to be returning home, although I feel there is part of me which will always have a ‘second home’ in Wales.»
He will be installed in the Diocese of Southwark on June 10. That diocese has some 395,000 Catholics, with 439 priests, 79 permanent deacons and 792 religious.
