AMENDED RELEASE: Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Michael Bransfield; Archbishop Lori Instructed to Conduct Investigation into Allegations of Sexual Harassment

September 13, 2018
By Ss. Peter & Paul

The following press release has been amended. Our initial release issued at 6am this
morning was based on the entire notification we received from the Nunciature
that did not include the additional information provided by the Archdiocese of
Baltimore.

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael
Bransfield from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston,
West Virginia. Pope Francis has
appointed Archbishop William E. Lori as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese
of Wheeling-Charleston. He will remain Archbishop of Baltimore. The Holy Father
has additionally instructed Archbishop Lori to conduct an investigation into
allegations of sexual harassment of adults against Bishop Bransfield.

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington,
September 13, 2018, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the
United States.

Bishop Bransfield was born September 8, 1943, in Philadelphia, PA. He
graduated from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in 1971, where he earned a
master’s in Divinity. He also earned his Master’s in Philosophy from The
Catholic University of America.

He was ordained to the priesthood on May 15, 1971 by Cardinal John
Krol for service in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Assignments after ordination included: teacher, chaplain, and Chairman
of the Religion Department at Lansdale Catholic High School. In 1980, Bishop Bransfield went on to serve
as Assistant Director and Director of
Liturgy, Director of Finance, and then Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception (1990).

On December 9, 2004, Pope Saint John Paul II appointed Bishop
Bransfield the eighth Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. He was ordained a bishop on February 22,
2005.

Bishop Bransfield served as a member of the Communications Committee,
the National Collections Committee, and Treasurer of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is comprised of 24,282 square miles
in the state of West Virginia and has a total population of 1,844,128 of which 77,874
or 4 percent, are Catholic.

Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
USCCB, Pope Francis, Archbishop
Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, Bishop Michael Bransfield, Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Archbishop William E. Lori, Baltimore.

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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops