WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has accepted the
resignation of Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of
Boston. Bishop Kennedy is retiring having
reached the retirement age for bishops of 75 on January 9.

The resignation and appointment was publicized
in Washington, June 30, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to
the United States.

Bishop Kennedy was appointed by His
Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on June 30, 2010 and was installed as auxiliary
bishop on September 14, 2010. Other posts included Titular Bishop of Timidana.
He chose as his episcopal motto: Ut
cognoscant te, meaning, “so that they may know you.”

A native of the Archdiocese of Boston,
Bishop Kennedy was ordained to the priesthood on December 17, 1966. From 2002-2005, amidst his assignments as
university professor at St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Kennedy served as
executive director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Most recently, he also served as Rector of
Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, from July 2007 until July
2012.

The Archdiocese of Boston comprises 2,465 square
miles. It has a total population of 4,147,275 people of which 1,949,219 or 47 percent, are
Catholic. Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, GCIH OFM Cap, is the current Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.

——

Keywords: Pope Francis,
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Auxiliary Bishop Arthur Kennedy,
retirement, Archdiocese of Boston, Cardinal
Seán Patrick O’Malley.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops