Pope Francis Monday named Bishop Alberto Rojas, an auxiliary bishop of Chicago, to be coadjutor of the Diocese of San Bernardino, California, and serve alongside Bishop Gerald Barnes until Barnes’ retirement.
As coadjutor, Rojas will assist Bishop Gerald Barnes in the administration of the San Bernardino diocese and succeed him as bishop upon his retirement or death.
Rojas, who was born in Mexico, has been an auxiliary bishop of Chicago since 2011, serving under both Cardinals Francis George and Blase Cupich.
Bishop Barnes, who has led the Diocese of San Bernardino for 23 years, announced in August his intention to retire in June 2020 at the age of 75.
The longest-serving bishop of a U.S. diocese, according to the San Bernardino Sun, Barnes was first appointed auxiliary bishop of San Bernardino in 1992. In 1995, he was made ordinary bishop.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
Speaking of bishops– I would like to know why a group of bishops told the Vatican that they would like to look deeper into Ven. Abp. Sheen’s beatification cause– so now, the Dec
21st big Mass and beatification ceremony, has been postponed!! What’s wrong?? Even Pope St. John Paul II was not “perfect”– he was very poor at helping victims of clergy sex abuse– and even ignored it, in his clergy! (Well– – it looks like he ignored the problem! ). So– what is poor Ven. Abp. Sheen possibly accused of?? This postponement is just terrible, for him– and for the Church!
This is just terrible, for the little Peoria boy and his family– the “Miracle Boy,” whose life was saved by Ven. Sheen! I hope this case turns out okay, with no problem- and hope all will go well, with the Beatification Mass, for Ven. Abp. Sheen, hopefully rescheduled very soon!
Today, I read that the Attorney General of the State of New York is investigating all Catholic dioceses in the State, for any possible cases of child sex abuse and cover-ups, by Catholic priests and bishops, going back many decades. Ven. Abp. Sheen served as the Bishop of Rochester for three years, 1966-1969. The current Bishop of Rochester has asked the Vatican to hold off on Sheen’s beatification ceremony, until this investigation is completed, to avoid any possible scandalous claims in the news, during the investigation. All of the bishops, and the Vatican, believe that Ven. Sheen will come out just fine, in this investigation. They believe that Ven. Sheen was indeed a cleric of the highest moral character, integrity, and virtue.
The Vatican is not saying. That said, according to interviews on Relevant Radio (a Catholic radio network) yesterday, it MAY be related to an allegation that, while as an auxiliary bishop in New York, he was aware of a case of sexual abuse, but did not report it to police. Did he report it to the archbishop (as may have been the procedure back then)? Of course, no deceased clergy can defend themselves in a “court” “this side of” eternity. Let us hope and pray for the truth.
The relevance of Bishop Sheen’s beatification to Bishop Rojas’s appointment might be . . . ??