René Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi/Texas, USA, died over the weekend (1. May) at the age of 102, according to his diocese.
Born on 9. June 1923 in New Orleans, he entered the Benedictine Order in 1951.
In 1959, Gracida priest was incardinated and in 1961 in the diocese of Miami; in 1971 he became auxiliary bishop there. From 1975 to 1983 he was bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Texas and then until 1997 of Corpus Christi.
Since 2022, the oldest bishop in the world, at 104 years old, is currently José de Jesús Sahagún de la Parra, Bishop Emeritus of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas in Mexico.
He is also one of the last four living fathers of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and the last to attend the opening in October 1962.