Vatican City, Aug 22, 2023 / 04:41 am
Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Warfel of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana.
Warfel, who will turn 75 on Sept. 16, will be automatically succeeded by his coadjutor, 57-year-old Bishop Jeffrey Fleming, who was appointed last year.
In an April 2022 statement, Warfel said that the year prior he had asked Pope Francis to appoint a coadjutor bishop “to help me in the administration of our diocese and to begin a transition for the eventual new ordinary.”
Warfel, who lived for over 25 years in Alaska and has spent the last 15 years in Montana, is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking and backpacking.