Pope accepts resignation of Cincinnati archbishop, names Chicago auxiliary as successor

(OSV News) -- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Robert G. Casey of Chicago as his successor.

The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop R. Walker Nickless, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, and appointed Father John E. Keehner, Jr. pastor of four parishes, to succeed him.

The pope also named Msgr. Richard F. Reidy, vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, to head the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut. Bishop-designate Reidy succeeds Bishop Michael R. Cote, who retired Sept. 3, 2024.

The resignations and appointments were publicized in Washington Feb. 12 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Schnurr, the 10th archbishop of Cincinnati, is one year past the age at which bishops are required by canon law to submit their resignation to the pope. He has been Cincinnati's shepherd since December 2009. He was named coadjutor archbishop and the following year succeeded Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk when he retired.

Archbishop Schnurr began a six-month treatment plan that included chemotherapy, following a May 2024 diagnosis of stage 3 small bowel cancer. In a statement at the time, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati said his overall health, described as "excellent," boded well for successful treatment of the cancer.

However, in a Feb. 12 press conference introducing Archbishop Casey, a spokesperson for the archdiocese confirmed in response to a media inquiry that Archbishop Schnurr -- who was not present at the event -- had suffered a fall on Feb. 2 due to "neuropathy post … chemotherapy treatment," and was currently recovering from "major surgery" he had undergone on Feb. 5.

In a recent interview with The Athenaeum, the magazine of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, Archbishop Schnurr said that during his cancer treatments he had been rereading the history of the archdiocese. He noted that synodality, which Pope Francis has emphasized, has long been at work in the archdiocese, and that in the U.S. as a whole, "the bishops have relied a lot on the laypeople" during the past several decades.

The archbishop also reflected in the same interview on his 16 combined years of service to both the apostolic nunciature in Washington (1985-1989) and as general secretary at what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (1995-2001). He played a major role shepherding efforts to combine what were twin conferences -- the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/U.S. Catholic Conference -- into the USCCB, which took effect in July 2001.

Before he was named general secretary, then-Msgr. Schnurr served spent four years as associate general secretary, which included two years (1991-1993) serving as national executive director of World Youth Day 1993 in Denver.

Archbishop Schnurr said in The Athenaeum interview that as general secretary he was "fascinated … why some dioceses were strong in priestly vocations and some were not," and learned that the direct involvement of bishops in fostering vocations "made all the difference in the world."

He implemented that approach when he was appointed as the eighth bishop of Duluth, Minnesota, in 2001, and saw priestly vocations triple between 2001 and 2008.

The archbishop continued that same outreach in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, regularly meeting with Mount St. Mary's seminarians.

In the interview, the Iowa native -- whose hometown had a population of just over 700 -- looked ahead to his then-pending retirement, saying, "I hope that I’ll be able to tell my successor that I can and will continue to help out. … My priesthood will continue.”

Archbishop Casey, 57, has been a Chicago auxiliary since 2018, serving as the archdiocese's vicar general. A native of Illinois, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1994.

He is the second Chicago auxiliary bishop to be appointed as a diocesan shepherd in recent weeks, with Pope Francis naming now-Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob to succeed retired Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee in November 2024.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago noted that point in a Feb. 12 statement, saying that "Pope Francis has again chosen one of our auxiliary bishops … to head an American archdiocese."

The cardinal said that "Bishop Casey has served his home diocese and its people as a pastor, educational leader and Vicar General," helping to guide the archdiocese "through a period of reorganization and renewal" to prepare it "for a blessed future.

"We know he will carry this experience and his pastoral heart to his new post as Archbishop of Cincinnati and we wish him well as he continues his service to the People of God," said Cardinal Cupich.

In a Feb. 12 press conference, Archbishop Casey noted his episcopal motto is "into your hands," taken from the final words of Christ on the cross (Lk 23:46).

"Those words began to resonate in my heart as a young seminarian, and have continued to remain there throughout my vocation -- 'Into your hands I entrust my spirit,'" he said. "So I come to Cincinnati with that same trust, that same hope, that same love that has been a guide for me throughout my life."

He also credited the late Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago, who ordained him, as "very formative," saying he planned to "draw on his spirit" in his new appointment.

Archbishop Casey said each of the three Chicago cardinals under whom he served -- Cardinal Cupich, Cardinal Bernardin and the late Cardinal Francis E. George -- were "very different from one another," but had "a depth that I've appreciated, (and) have come to know and understand."

Archbishop Casey said having served as Chicago's vicar general impressed him with "two guiding principles," the first being "human dignity" and the second "faithful citizenship."

"The church does not live outside of the state, but we are part of this country, and so we have to exercise faithful citizenship," he said. "We have to be partners. … I look forward to … the church being able to partner with our neighbors in the care and the concern that we have for one another."

In response to a question from the press, he said, "I do think for many in our church, they see these times as challenging," but he also views them as "exciting," and as "a moment in which Christ has tapped us on the shoulder and called us to serve in a very important moment not just for the Catholic Church, but for any faith community as we see a world that's becoming more secularized."

Asked by media for his stance on possible immigration arrests at houses of worship -- part of the Trump administration's broader crackdown on immigration -- Archbishop Casey said, "What's important for our immigrant community is to understand their situation and understand their rights," stressing that "it's just about being aware and educated."

At the same time, he said, immigration agents have "come to our churches and schools in the past. … We have a relationship with the government. We don't live in opposition, but we live in partnership."

He also highlighted the need to reevangelize the younger generations in a secularized culture, and to heed "Pope Francis' wisdom (of) inviting the church into a synodal moment, into a moment of relationship with one another."

"We need to work to build relationships," he said. "It's not looking at the street, but looking at the crosswalk. How do we build those relationships so that … we can partner in creating a better family of God all around us?"