Denver, Colo., Aug 25, 2016 / 14:48 pm
Father Jorge Rodriguez, the next auxiliary bishop of Denver, believes there is a way to help lapsed Catholics return to church.
"Sometimes we go far away, but Jesus is always the one who attracts to our pews," Bishop-designate Rodriguez said Aug. 25. "Inasmuch as we present the true Jesus, then people will come back. They really need him."
If Catholics will "reactivate" their own communities, he said, people will return.
On Thursday, Pope Francis appointed Mexico native Fr. Rodriguez, 61, as the next auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Denver. The former professor and past vice-rector of Denver's St. John Vianney Seminary presently serves as pastor at Holy Cross Church in Thornton, Colo.
"I've met this wonderful Catholic community that we have here," he said at a Thursday press conference. "There are lots of wonderful people in Colorado. I feel very honored to be able to live in this beautiful state and to serve the Church here, for our brothers and sisters in the archdiocese."