Bishop Nevins of Venice resigns; coadjutor succeeds him

Published: 2007-01-19

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop John J. Nevins of Venice, Fla., who is 75. He was appointed the first bishop of Venice when the diocese was created in 1984 from portions of the Miami Archdiocese and the dioceses of Orlando and St. Petersburg, Fla. Coadjutor Bishop Frank J. Dewane immediately succeeds him. The changes were announced in Washington Jan. 19 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop Nevins turned 75 Jan. 19. A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., he was ordained a priest of the Miami Archdiocese in 1959. He was named an auxiliary bishop of Miami in 1979 and ordained a bishop March 24 of that year. He was appointed the first bishop of Venice July 27, 1984, and was installed in the new diocese Oct. 25, 1984. The diocese, covering 10 counties in southwest Florida, has 233,000 Catholics in a total population of 1.8 million. Bishop Dewane, who spent 15 years in Vatican service before he was made a bishop, is 56 years old.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .