Fort Worth Bishop Kevin Vann, who led the diocese through a tumultuous period of gut-wrenching exposure of child abuse, is headed west.
Pope Benedict XVI has named Vann, who saw the Fort Worth diocese expand by nearly 80 percent to 700,000 Roman Catholics, as the new bishop of the Orange, California Catholic Diocese. Vann's new job starts in December.Vann, 61, was installed as the bishop in July 2005 after the death of ailing Bishop Joseph Delaney.Vann will become the fourth bishop of the Orange Diocese. That diocese has an estimated 1.3 million Catholics and is adjacent to the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese. It is described as diverse, with significant Hispanic and Vietnamese populations, according to a news release from the Fort Worth diocese.Vann, from Illinois, has been a priest since 1981.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
