Pope Francis named Andrew Cozzens as the next Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Crookston. Cozzens succeeds Michael Hoeppner.
Michael Hoeppner resigned at the request of the Pope in April after the Vatican concluded Hoeppner interfered with past investigations into clergy sex abuse.
At a news conference held yesterday, Cozzens said he knows how difficult it can be to change the culture of the church because when he was appointed auxiliary bishop in 2012, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis was going through the greatest crisis in its history because of clergy sex abuse.
“I am grateful to Our Holy Father for entrusting to me this important mission and my heart is already filled with love for the faithful, the priests, and the religious of the Diocese of Crookston,” he said in a statement.
“I have great excitement for this opportunity to serve.”
The St. Philip’s Catholic Church in Bemidji is a part of this diocese.
