Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — In another move reflecting the social justice agenda of Pope Francis, the church announced Monday that pope has appointed Salt Lake City bishop and immigration-reform advocate John C. Wester as the new archbishop for New Mexico's largest diocese.
The Archdiocese of Santa Fe introduced Wester, 64, to supporters and said the he would replace Archbishop Michael Sheehan in June.
Wester, who was ordained a priest in 1976 for his native Archdiocese of San Francisco, said in a bilingual speech that he was excited to come to the most Hispanic state in the nation and looked forward to working in this historic Southwest region.
"I am attracted to the rich diversity of people in this archdiocese, starting with the Navajo, Apache and Ute cultures," Wester said. "I also note the large number of Latino cultures that enrich the archdiocese with their diverse traditions."
Wester will be taking over a region that includes more than 300,000 parishioners and has a rich history that began more than four centuries ago with the arrival of Spanish colonists and eight Franciscan friars who were charged with spreading Catholicism to the indigenous people.
As chair of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' communications committee, he has weighed in on current immigration issues facing the nation. He contends the debate needs to focus on addressing the poverty and persecution that forces many to leave their home countries in the first place.
Asked if he would advocate for specific anti-poverty policies in one of the poorest states in the nation, Wester said he needed to examine the problems in New Mexico more closely.
"I believe Pope Francis has spoken eloquently about this very thing, especially how poverty has become institutionalized in our systems," Wester said.
However, he said it was the duty of the church to help inform the public on the plight of the poor and advocate for social justice.
Wester has worked toward immigration reform on local, national and international levels and is a board member of the humanitarian agency Catholic Relief Services, the archdiocese said.
Wester is scheduled to be installed as archbishop June 4. Until then, he and Sheehan will serve in their current posts.
Wester is a moderate whose appointment comes at a time when Pope Francis continues to face staunch resistance to his reforms from conservative U.S. Catholic bishops, said Andrew Chesnut, the Bishop Walter F. Sullivan chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"Francis' agenda has been with the poor and the oppressed, and this appointment fits with that agenda," Chesnut said. "It's kind of a perfect match because the future of the Catholic Church is a Latino one, and (Wester) understands this."
Sheehan, 75, who is retiring because of age requirements, became Santa Fe's archbishop in 1993 after then-Archbishop Robert Sanchez resigned amid allegations of sexual relations with women.
Sheehan led abuse investigations, removed priests and oversaw the financial consequences of dozens of lawsuits.
During Wester's news conference, Sheehan said he was pleased with the appointment.
"There were other choices that frankly I would have been hesitant about," Sheehan said. "I like this one."
___
Follow Russell Contreras at http://twitter.com/russcontreras
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
