Pope names new bishop for Biden's Wilmington diocese

Francis appointed the current vicar for clergy in the Rockville Centre, New York diocese, Monsignor William Koenig, to replace Malooly.

Associated Press

Apr 30, 2021, 1:14 PM

Updated 1,257 days ago

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U.S. President Joseph Biden has a new bishop.
Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Wilmington, Delaware Bishop Francis Malooly, who at 77 is two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops.
Francis appointed the current vicar for clergy in the Rockville Centre, New York diocese, Monsignor William Koenig, to replace Malooly.
Koenig, 64, a Queens native, was ordained a bishop in Rockville Centre in 1983 and held a series of parish and diocesan positions before being put in charge of the diocese's clergy last year.
Biden, the second Catholic president of the United States, worships both at his home in Wilmington and in Washington.
Both Malooly and the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, made clear that Biden was welcome to receive Communion at churches they oversee despite his support for abortion rights.
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This version corrects spelling of Koenig.
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