.- The bishop who briefly led the Archdiocese of Boston for seven months after Cardinal Bernard Law quit was installed Monday as the bishop of Cleveland. Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston led more than 300 priests and bishops at the standing room-only installation mass at St. John Cathedral, reported the Associated Press.
Bishop Richard Lennon succeeds Bishop Anthony M. Pilla, 73, who retired. He attended the installation ceremony. Bishop Pilla led the diocese for 25 years.
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's representative to Washington and the U.S. Catholic community, read the appointment letter from Pope Benedict XVI.
Bishop Lennon, 59, must now deal with the challenges in the Cleveland diocese, namely declining numbers of priests and possible parish closings.
Cleveland is the nation's 16th-largest diocese with nearly 800,000 Catholics.
