Bishop Emeritus Michael Cote of the Diocese of Norwich. / Credit: Diocese of Norwich
St. Louis, Mo., Sep 3, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
Bishop Michael R. Cote of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut, announced his retirement on Tuesday saying Pope Francis had accepted his resignation at the customary age of 75.
Cote, originally from Maine, was first ordained a priest in 1975 and led the eastern Connecticut diocese since May 14, 2003.
“I am deeply grateful to Pope Francis for his acceptance of my resignation,” Cote said in a Sept. 3 letter.
“As I now transition to the role of Bishop Emeritus of Norwich, I want to express what a profound honor and joy it has been to serve as your bishop for over two decades,” the bishop wrote.
“Leading the Diocese of Norwich, walking with you in faith, and ministering alongside so many dedicated clergy, ministry directors, and parishioners has been a true blessing in my life, one that I will always hold dear.”
Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Christopher Coyne, who took over as shepherd of Hartford, Connecticut in May, as Norwich’s apostolic administrator until the pope appoints a new bishop.
“I am grateful to our Holy Father for this opportunity to steward our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Norwich while we await the appointment of their next bishop,” Coyne said in a statement.
“I also wish to convey my very best wishes in retirement for Bishop Cote, who lovingly shepherded the faithful of Norwich for 21 years.”
Cote said he pledges his “full support and assistance” to Archbishop Coyne during this period of transition.
“I also commit to keeping all of you in my prayers, as well as praying for whoever may be appointed as my successor. The future of our diocese is in God’s hands, and we can trust in His providence,” Cote concluded.
“Let us, as a diocesan family, unite in prayer for Archbishop Coyne and for the one who will eventually serve as our next Bishop of Norwich. May the Holy Spirit guide them, and may our diocese continue to shine as a beacon of faith, hope, and love in the world. Please know that I will be praying for each of you, and I humbly ask that you hold me in your prayers as well.”
The Norwich diocese covers four counties in eastern Connecticut as well as Fishers Island, a small portion of New York state. It serves 230,108 Catholics, which is approximately a third of the area’s total population.
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Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Vatican City, Sep 18, 2024 / 08:54 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Catholic Church is “more alive” outside of Europe as he reflected back on his recent apostolic journey to Southeast Asia.
“A first reflection that comes spontaneously after this trip is that in thinking about the Church we are still too Eurocentric, or, as they say, ‘Western,’” the pope said in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 18.
“But in reality, the Church is much bigger, much bigger than Rome and Europe … and may I say much more alive in these countries,” he added.
Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
In his first general audience since returning from the longest international trip of his pontificate, the pope expressed gratitude to God for his experiences in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore Sept. 2–13.
“I thank the Lord who allowed me to do as an elderly pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit,” Francis said.
The pope, who turns 88 in December, expressed his enthusiasm for the “missionary, outgoing Church” he encountered on his visit to the four island nations in Asia and Oceania.
The pope recalled his visit to the grounds of the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, where he signed a joint declaration with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar condemning religious-based violence and promoting religious harmony.
“There, I saw that fraternity is the future, it is the answer to anti-civilization, to the diabolical plots of hatred, war, and also sectarianism,” he said.
Pope Francis arrives at his general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Pope Francis commented that the missionaries and catechists were the “protagonists” of his visit to Papua New Guinea, where the pope was welcomed by the beating drums of some of the country’s Indigenous tribes who have accepted the Catholic faith.
“I rejoiced to be able to stay a while with the missionaries and catechists of today; and I was moved to listen to the young people’s songs and music: In them, I saw a new future, without tribal violence, without dependency, without economic or ideological colonialism; a future of fraternity and care for the wondrous natural environment,” Francis said.
The pope added that he has “a beautiful memory” from traveling to the remote coastal town of Vanimo, a jungle outpost where he said Argentine missionaries “go into the jungle in search of the most hidden tribes.”
Pope Francis said that he experienced the “air of springtime” in East Timor, a small Catholic country that gained its independence from Indonesia in 2002.
He praised the Catholic country for its many large families and many religious vocations.
“I will never forget the smiles of the children,” he said. “In East Timor, I saw the youthfulness of the Church: families, children, young people, many seminarians and aspirants to consecrated life.”
Frequently throughout his trip, Pope Francis commended the high birth rates found not only in East Timor but also in Indonesia, saying that such high fertility rates should be an example for other countries around the world.
On his return flight to Rome, the pope praised East Timor’s “culture of life,” adding that wealthier countries, including Singapore, could learn from the small country that “children are the future.”
Looking back on his final stop in Singapore, the pope remarked that the modern city-state was very different from other countries he visited during his apostolic journey.
“Even in wealthy Singapore there are the ‘little ones,’ who follow the Gospel and become salt and light, witnesses to a hope greater than what economic gains can guarantee,” he added.
Pope Francis reflected on his journey to the four tropical islands on a cloudy fall morning in Rome. The pope was quite animated as he spoke about his travels, frequently making extra comments off the cuff to the crowd.
He underlined to the crowd that an “apostolic journey” is much different than tourism because “it is a journey to bring the Word of God, to make the Lord known, and also to know the soul of the people.”
At the end of the audience, the pope offered a prayer for the victims of the recent severe flooding in Europe and encouraged the local Catholic communities who are working to provide relief to the flooding caused by Storm Boris.
“In these days, heavy torrential rains have hit Central and Eastern Europe causing victims, missing persons, and extensive damage in Austria, Romania, Czech Republic, and Poland, who have to cope with tragic inconveniences caused by the floods. I assure everyone of my closeness, praying for those who have lost their lives and their families,” he said.
Pope Francis commented that there were many newly married couples who came to the general audience to receive his blessing for their marriages, with the Holy Father giving a shoutout to two Vatican employees who will be married in Vatican City this weekend.
The pope asked the Virgin Mary’s intercession for the newlyweds to have the grace “to accept work and daily crosses as opportunities for growth and purification of your love.”
Francis also prayed for the sick, elderly, and disabled present at the general audience.
“May Our Lady of Sorrows, whom we recalled a few days ago in the liturgy, help you, dear sick and elderly people, to grasp in suffering and difficulties the call to make of your existence a mission for the salvation of your brothers and sisters,” he said.
Washington D.C., Jun 21, 2017 / 09:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops have launched a website and video to mark the beginning of this year’s Fortnight for Freedom, focusing on religious freedom issues both at home and abroad.
The German Parliament building in Berlin. / Credit: canadastock/Shutterstock
CNA Newsroom, Jul 8, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).
Leading German pro-life advocates are criticizing a new law passed by Germany’s federal Parliament on Friday to establish 1… […]
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