Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Bishop Jarrett expects role to last several months

THE Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane's new leader Bishop Geoffrey Jarrett expects to be in the interim position for several months until a new archbishop is appointed. 

The Bishop of Lismore has taken over after Archbishop John Bathersby's retirement was approved by Pope Benedict XVI this week.

"There is no fixed period. It will depend on how long it takes to choose who it is going to be," Bishop Jarrett said yesterday.

"It's probably going to be another bishop. I don't know who but for such an important diocese as Brisbane it could well be somebody who is already a bishop."
Archbishop Bathersby was in charge of the Brisbane archdiocese, which stretches from the Gold Coast north to Childers and west to Gatton, for 20 years.

Bishop Jarrett, 74, lived at Buderim on the Sunshine Coast in the mid-1960s until the early 1970s and said he had a strong connection with Brisbane.

"I've always had lots of friends here and know quite a lot of priests here, so there's always been an attraction," he said.

Bishop Jarrett said he would continue to live in Lismore but would spend at least two days a week in Brisbane until a new archbishop was appointed.