Illinois native chosen to head Belleville Diocese

[Cuban_Liberal]

BY BECKY MALKOVICH

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - An Illinois native was chosen by Pope John Paul II to serve as the eighth Bishop of Belleville, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The Most Rev. Edward K. Braxton, currently bishop of Lake Charles, La., will lead the Belleville Diocese, which includes more than 100 parishes in 28 counties of Southern Illinois.

The announcement was made simultaneously at noon in Rome and at 6 a.m. in Washington, D.C., by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo.

Braxton succeeds former Belleville Bishop Wilton Gregory, who was installed as archbishop of Atlanta earlier this year.

Braxton, 60, is a Chicago native who was

ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 13, 1970, by John Cardinal Cody, archbishop of Chicago.

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More: http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2005/03/16/top/100829.txt

[DemBones DemBones]

1. I take it this is your new bishop? If so, we have your former bishop,

Wilton Gregory, now Archbishop Gregory. He seems to be a good guy and I'm glad to have another black bishop as there are many black Catholics in the archdiocese.

[Cuban_Liberal]

2. No, this isn't my bishop, but our neighboring diocese.

The Belleville Diocese is just south of our diocese, the Springfield Diocese. You guys are sooooooooooo lucky to get Bishop Gregory-- he is one of the finest churchmen around, and I fully expect him to become a Prince of the Church sooner, rather than later.
:)