Earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI's appointment was announced of Bishop Vasquez as the fifth Bishop of Austin. Today, Cardinal DiNardo praised Vasquez, and said his good work here in the Hispanic community was certainly part of the reason he's moving on, and Bishop Vasquez acknowledged all the work he has ahead of him.
"To serve in the diocese of Austin, it is a growing and thriving community," said Auxiliary Bishop Joseph, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
While leaders in our archdiocese have praised the appointment, The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the organization called SNAP, said in an online statement that it was disappointed because it doesn't feel like the archdiocese has always responded quickly enough in recent years to allegations of abuse, and that Bishop Vasquez was part of the church's leadership that should have stepped up.
As for the bishop, he stands behind all the decisions made by the archdiocese and says a review board is in place to properly handle abuse complaints. He'll be installed as the new bishop of Austin on March 8th.
