Bishop Braxton named to head Diocese of Belleville, Ill.

Published: 2005-03-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II has named Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Lake Charles, La., to be the new bishop of Belleville, Ill. The appointment was announced March 15 in Washington by Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Braxton, 60, is one of nine active African-American bishops in the country and one of six who head a diocese. He has been a strong advocate for greater church openness to African-Americans, including ways of better expressing the faith to a black culture. The Belleville Diocese was left vacant last December when then-Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, another African-American, was named to head the Atlanta Archdiocese. In a 1997 speech, Bishop Braxton spoke of a "cultural divide" separating white Catholics from black Catholics. Such a divide means that events convey different meanings to white and black communities, and evangelization in the black community is hindered because the efforts are based on white models, he said.

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