The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento on Thursday named a successor for Bishop William K. Weigand, even though the spiritual leader to about 500,000 Northern California Catholics has not said when he plans to retire.Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday appointed Bishop Jaime Soto to the second-highest post in the sprawling diocese, one step below Weigand.
There are now 25 Hispanic bishops in the U.S, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Hispanics are the fastest-growing portion of the church, accounting for 45 percent of the Sacramento diocese's members.
Soto, 51, has been an auxiliary bishop in the Orange County Diocese since 2000.
In Sacramento, he will serve directly under Weigand, 70, and will share the bishop's pastoral and administrative responsibilities.
The diocese, which covers 20 counties, said Soto will automatically take over when Weigand retires. Weigand is required to step down by age 75 but said he has no immediate plans to retire.
He had been bishop since 1994 and had a liver transplant in 2005.
Soto will start his new post Nov. 19 with a special Mass.
He is the grandson of Mexican immigrants, the oldest of seven children in what he described as a traditional Mexican-American Catholic family.
He said he knew he wanted to be a priest since second grade.
He has been an advocate for immigration reform, but spoke little Spanish until he learned after he was ordained in 1982. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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