Bishop Leibrecht retires; Knoxville diocesan chancellor is successor

Published: 2008-01-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop John J. Leibrecht, 77, of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., and has named the chancellor of the Diocese of Knoxville, Tenn., Father J. Vann Johnston Jr., as his successor. The resignation and appointment were announced in Washington Jan. 24 by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Bishop-designate Johnston's episcopal ordination will be March 31. In a statement released in Springfield, he pledged "to serve in generosity and charity all of the priests, deacons, consecrated religious, seminarians and lay faithful of southern Missouri with the help of God's grace and wisdom. I will strive to serve you as a shepherd after the heart of Christ," he said. "Likewise, I will seek out those who have fallen away from the practice of their Catholic faith, reach out to the unchurched, and seek to meet brothers and sisters of other faith communities and churches on areas of common belief and shared concerns."

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