Bishop Tri-Appointment Thursday!

Three new bishops appointed for the United States today!

Pope Benedict XVI has named Father Paul Sirba of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of Duluth, Minnesota; Father Fernando Isern of the Archdiocese of Miami, 51, as Bishop of Pueblo, Colorado; and Msgr. Robert C. Evans, 62, of the [diocese] of Providence, Rhode Island, as Auxiliary Bishop of Providence. The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Arthur Tafoya, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Pueblo Diocese.

The Duluth Diocese includes 22,354 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 439,172 people, with 66,007, or 15 percent, of them Catholic.

The Pueblo Diocese includes 48,155 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 621,000 people, with 96,904, or 16 percent, of them Catholic

The Providence [diocese] includes 1,085 square miles. The total population of the diocese is estimated at 1,057,832 people, with 624,120, or 59 percent, of them Catholic

Whispers has details.