Bishops new and old

The Holy Father this morning accepted the retirement of Bishop James O'Brien, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Westminster, England.

He also named Msgr. Bernardo Alvarez Afonso, vicar general of the diocese of San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain, as the new Bishop, replacing Bishop Felipe Fernandez Garcia whose resignation (for reasons other than age) was accepted by the Holy Father this morning.

The Holy Father appointed two new bishops in Bolivia (both in their forties): Polish-born Fr. Krzysztof Bialasik S.V.D., secretary for pastoral care of the Bolivian Episcopal Conference, as Bishop of Oruro and Fr. Ricardo Ernesto Centellas Guzman as Auxiliary Bishop of Potosi.