Pope Benedict Makes Three Interesting Appointments

 

By Scott P. Richert, About.com Guide March 21, 2012

But the most interesting of yesterday's appointments, at least to me, was the naming of Msgr. David J. Malloy of the archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to replace Bishop Thomas Doran

reputation for being far more conservative and traditional than the longtime archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland, who ordained him to the priesthood.

The appointment of a man well connected in the Vatican and at the highest levels of the U.S. hierarchy to the bishopric of Rockford would seem to confirm rumors I've heard over the past year that the Vatican now regards the Diocese of Rockford as an important American diocese. The question, of course, is why? It is possible that Rockford is being viewed as a proving ground for bishops who will later move on to larger and more important dioceses, such as Milwaukee and Chicago. Or it may simply be a question of numbers: While the Diocese of Rockford has far fewer priests, it is larger in area than, say, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and it now has almost as many Catholics within its borders.

Click on the following to read the entire article:  Pope Benedict Makes Three Interesting Appointments