.- A Vatican source has confirmed that on July 19 Pope Benedict XVI will appoint Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver as the shepherd of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Several news outlets reported on July 18 that Archbishop Chaput will lead the Philadelphia archdiocese, beginning this coming September.
Archbishop Chaput’s appointment was confirmed to CNA late on Monday by a Vatican source who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
On June 30, the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops picked the name of a potential Philadelphia archbishop from a list of three candidates – known as a “terna” – to recommend to Pope Benedict.
After praying over the issue during the Fourth of July weekend, according to the source, Pope Benedict decided to choose Archbishop Chaput for the post.
The Denver archbishop is no stranger to Pope Benedict, since he spent time working with Archbishop Chaput during the apostolic visitation of the Legion of Christ between 2009 and 2010. Archbishop Chaput also led the visitation of Bishop Bill Morris in the Diocese of Toowomba, Australia in 2007.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, who has lead the Philadelphia archdiocese since 2003, submitted his resignation on April 19, 2010 when he reached the retirement age of 75. That resignation is expected to be accepted by Pope Benedict tomorrow.
