This is big, from Whispers in the Loggia:
Per three Whispers ops, Pope Francis is set to name Nelson Perez – the 58 year-old son of Cuban exiles, until now the bishop of Cleveland, ordained a priest of Philadelphia in 1989 – as his adopted home’s 10th Archbishop on Thursday, 23 January.
The move comes four months after the 75th birthday of Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap., who widely aired his wish to be retired quickly after 32 years as an active prelate, the last eight of them embroiled in attempting to rescue the 1.1 million-member Philly fold from a financial and managerial free-fall – an ongoing plate which now includes an unprecedented FBI investigation into clergy sex-abuse across the entire province (i.e. state) his successor will inherit.
He has more context. Read it all.
UPDATE: It’s official. Via the Vatican bulletin:
Renunciation of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia (USA) and appointment of the new Metropolitan Archbishop
The Holy Father accepted the renunciation of the pastoral government of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia (USA), presented by HE Msgr. Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap.
The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Nelson Jesus Perez, previously Bishop of Cleveland (Ohio), Metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia (USA).
HE Mons. Nelson J. Perez
HE Msgr. Nelson Jesus J. Perez was born on June 16, 1961 in Miami in the Archdiocese of the same name (Florida). After obtaining the Baccalaureate in Psychology from Montclair State University in New Jersey (1983), he taught at elementary school, at Colegio la Piedad in Puerto Rico. He completed his ecclesiastical studies at the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook (Pennsylvania), where he obtained his Master’s in Theology (1985-1989).
He was ordained a priest on May 20, 1989 for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
After priestly ordination, he carried out the following tasks: Parish vicar of the Saint Ambrose Parish in Philadelphia (1989-1993); Vice-Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Hispanics (1990-1993); Director and Founder of the Catholic Institute for Evangelization (1993-2002); Parish priest of Saint William Parish in Philadelphia (2002-2009); Parish priest of Saint Agnes Parish in West Chester (2009-2012). In addition, he was a member of the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (2003-2005), Professor of Psychology and Religious Studies at La Salle University in Philadelphia (1994-2008).
In 1998 he was appointed chaplain of his holiness and on 24 October 2009 he was appointed prelate of honor of his holiness.
Appointed titular Bishop of Catro and Auxiliary of Rockville Center (New York), on 8 June 2012 he received the episcopal consecration on the following 25 July.
As Auxiliary of Rockville Center he was Episcopal Vicar of Eastern Vicariate and for the Hispanic apostolate.
On July 11, 2017, he was transferred to the Cleveland (Ohio) office, taking office on September 5.
