The newly installed bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, Richard Pates, called for Catholic unity to promote social justice and a culture of life during a Thursday ceremony in Des Moines.Pates, 65, became the ninth bishop in the diocese's 97-year history during an afternoon Mass attended by roughly 2,500 people at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines.
The ceremony's loudest applause came when Pates, after a welcome from Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, pledged the church would help the state preserve the rights of all Iowans, especially the right to life.
"Gospel teaching challenges us to build a culture of life where all are respected and are rendered the dignity to which each individual is entitled," Pates said later in the ceremony.
Portions of the Mass were delivered in English and Spanish, a recognition of the church's growing numbers of Hispanic parishioners.
Pates succeeds Bishop Joseph Charron, who retired last year for health reasons. Monsignor Stephen Orr of Ankeny led the diocese in the interim. Pope Benedict XVI last month named Pates bishop of the Des Moines Diocese.
Pates previously served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He is a Minnesota native and the third consecutive auxiliary bishop from the Twin Cities to be appointed bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines.
Dennis McGrath, communications director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said Pates has an even temperament and good nature that benefits his leadership style.
"He can take a thorny situation and mediate it really well," McGrath said. "He's not a polarizing influence. He's a calming influence."
Pates will shepherd roughly 97,000 registered Catholics in the Diocese of Des Moines, which spans Iowa's southwestern quadrant. An estimated 30,000 more Spanish-speaking Catholics are believed to attend churches within the Des Moines Diocese, although they are not registered with parishes.
Pates' unity theme struck the right chord with Bill Perkins, who traveled from Council Bluffs to attend the ceremony. "It was right on key," he said.
Catholics in the diocese have an important role as agents of the common good in an increasingly globalized world, Pates said.
"Our rich and productive land can be pivotal in addressing the unconscionable, ever-present specter of worldwide hunger," he said.
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