His Excellency, The Most Reverend Francis Xavier DiLorenzo |
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Bishop of Richmond | |
Church | Catholic Church |
Archdiocese | Baltimore |
Diocese | Richmond |
Appointed | March 31, 2004 |
Installed | May 24, 2004 |
Predecessor | Walter Francis Sullivan |
Orders | |
Ordination | May 18, 1968 |
Consecration | March 8, 1988 by James Timlin, J. Carroll McCormick, and Anthony Bevilacqua |
Personal details | |
Born |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
April 15, 1942
Previous post |
Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton Bishop of Honolulu |
Motto | CHRIST OUR HOPE |
Styles of Francis Xavier DiLorenzo |
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Reference style | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Religious style | Bishop |
Francis Xavier DiLorenzo (born April 15, 1942) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Richmond, Virginia, since 2004.
Previously DiLorenzo was the fourth bishop of the Honolulu, Hawaii.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, DiLorenzo was ordained to the priesthood in his hometown on May 18, 1968, at the age of 26.
On January 26, 1988, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Scranton. He was consecrated titular bishop of Tigias on March 8 of that year.
In 1994, Joseph Anthony Ferrario, the Bishop of Honolulu, fell ill and requested that the Vatican accept his resignation for health reasons. Bishop DiLorenzo was named the Apostolic Administrator of Honolulu on October 12, 1993, and he was appointed bishop on November 29, 1994. His installation included hula dancing. In attendance were Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, Apostolic Delegate, Cardinal Pio Taofinu'u of Samoa, and Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco. In 1997 DiLorenzo defended the use of hula in a variety of religious services in the diocese despite the Vatican's prohibition on liturgical dance, calling hula a native "sacred gesture".
Bishop DiLorenzo worked to teach and govern in accordance with the teachings of the Church regarding marriage, sexuality in marriage and the proper relationship between men and women. His predecessor was considered by many to have governed liberally, often not teaching or promoting the churches teaching on sexual activity being reserved for marriage and the immorality of homosexual activity. A few critics attacked Ferrario for creating a "haven" for gay clergy.