Bishop Cupich appointed to lead Diocese of Spokane, Wash.

By Catholic News Service
   WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., and named Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Rapid City, to succeed him.
    The appointment and resignation were announced June 30 in Washington by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
    Bishop Cupich, 61, has been bishop of Rapid City since 1998. He currently chairs the USCCB Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.
    Welcoming Bishop Cupich to the diocese at a June 30 news conference, Bishop Skylstad said he “brings a wealth of experience and talents to this ministry.”
    In 2004, the Spokane Diocese became the third diocese in the country to file for bankruptcy protection while facing extensive sexual abuse claims.
    Bishop Cupich said at the news conference that he had “no qualms or fears or hesitations” about meeting with victims of clergy sex abuse in the Spokane Diocese, as he has often done elsewhere. Bishop Cupich also said he was not discouraged about leading a diocese recovering from bankruptcy.
   “The important thing is mission, not money,” he said. “If you get mission right, money follows.”