WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has accepted the
resignation of Bishop Ronald P. Herzog, 74, from the pastoral governance of the
Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana. Bishop David P. Talley, 66, up until now
coadjutor bishop of the same diocese, will succeed him as bishop of Alexandria.

The appointment was publicized in Washington,
February 2, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United
States.

Bishop Talley was born in
Columbus, Georgia on September 11, 1950. He pursued seminary studies at Saint
Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana and was ordained a priest in
the Archdiocese of Atlanta in 1989. He holds a doctorate in canon law from the
Gregorian University in Rome. In 2001, Pope John Paul II named him a prelate of
honor with the title of monsignor. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of
Atlanta, on January 3, 2013. Pope Francis appointed him as coadjutor bishop of
Alexandria on September 21, 2016.

Bishop Talley currently
serves as chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human
Development, and as a member of USCCB’s Committee on National Collections and
Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Bishop Ronald P. Herzog
was born April 22, 1942 in Akron, Ohio. He was ordained a priest on June 1,
1968; he was appointed bishop of Alexandria on November 4, 2004, and ordained a
bishop on January 5, 2005. Bishop Herzog most recently served as a consultant
on the USCCB’s Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The Diocese of Alexandria
comprises 11,108 square miles in central Louisiana. It has a population of
368,065 people of whom, 36,280, or 10 percent, are Catholic.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Norma
Montenegro Flynn
O:
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops