the new archbishop of San Francisco

The Vatican announces today that Pope Benedict has appointed Bishop George Hugh Niederauer, bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah as the new metropolitan archbishop of San Francisco. The archbishop-elect was born in Los Angeles in 1936, was ordained a priest in 1962, and consecrated a bishop in 1995. He succeeds Archbishop William Levada who was appointed by Benedict a few months ago as the Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

Niederauer's installation as Archbishop of San Francisco is planned for the morning of Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco.

God bless the new archbishop.