© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Pope Francis Names Next Archbishop Of St. Louis, As Robert Carlson Steps Down

St. Louis Public Radio | By Shahla Farzan,
Shahla Farzan
Published June 10, 2020 at 11:40 AM CDT
Archbishop Robert Carlson, center, has led the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2009.
Archdiocese of St. Louis
Archbishop Robert Carlson, center, has led the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2009.

Updated at 11:35 a.m. June 10

Nearly a year after St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson announced his retirement, Pope Francis has named his successor.

Bishop Mitchell Rozanski of the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, will succeed Carlson as the next archbishop of St. Louis. 

Carlson submitted his resignation to the pope last year after turning 75, the mandatory age of retirement for the position. The Minnesota native has led the St. Louis Archdiocese, one of the largest Catholic communities in the country, since 2009.

During a press conference Wednesday morning at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, Carlson described his successor as a leader with a “zeal for evangelization.”

“You are receiving from the Holy Father a true man of God,” said Carlson, who will temporarily serve as apostolic administrator, according to the archdiocese. “I believe that in a time like we’re going through now, a fresh leader is exactly what we need.”

The newly appointed St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, left, greets Pope Francis during a meeting of U.S. bishops at the Vatican last year.
Credit Vatican
The newly appointed St. Louis Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski, left, greets Pope Francis during a meeting of U.S. bishops at the Vatican last year.

Rozanski, 61, has led the Springfield diocese since 2014, a period during which it has fielded allegations of sexual abuse against a former bishop and two priests. Previously, he served as a priest and auxiliary bishop in his hometown of Baltimore. 

He acknowledged that he will begin his tenure during a “troubled time” in the U.S., when many are grappling with the “effects of the COVID-19 virus, the death of Mr. George Floyd and the sad spectre of racism that tears at the very fabric of our country.” 

Over the next several months, Rozanski said he plans to spend time learning about the needs of the St. Louis Catholic community and its members' “hopes and dreams.”

“I don’t think I can come here with a set agenda,” Rozanski said. “I’ve got a learning curve, and I know that.”

He will be installed as archbishop of St. Louis during a Mass service tentatively scheduled for Aug. 25.

Follow Shahla on Twitter: @shahlafarzan

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri News
Shahla Farzan
See stories by Shahla Farzan
Shahla Farzan
Shahla Farzan is a reporter at St. Louis Public Radio. She comes most recently from KBBI Public Radio in Homer, Alaska, where she covered issues ranging from permafrost thaw to disputes over prayer in public meetings. A science nerd to the core, Shahla spent six years studying native bees, eventually earning her PhD in ecology from the University of California-Davis. She has also worked as an intern at Capital Public Radio in Sacramento and a podcaster for BirdNote. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, combing flea markets for tchotchkes, and curling up with a good book.