Cantu Named Administrator of Archdiocese (of San Antonio)

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jenkiedad said:
"Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu today was named ‘Apostolic Administrator’ of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio, giving the bishop the edge in becoming the next Archbishop . . . .

. . . . Cantu was ordained bishop on June 2, 2008. He is a native of Houston and was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston in 1994."

radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=7164304
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I heard the news on KSAT 12 this morning. In fact, it was kind of funny. I had called Leslie Mouton, the morning anchor, to gently correct her on the term she used when she broke the story about Archbishop Gomez. I explained to her that he would be co-adjutor archbishop, not co-adjucator. This morning, she used the correct word. 😃

Bear in mind that this does not necessarily mean that he will be named Archbishop. The same thing happened at St. Louis when Archbishop Burke was sent to Rome. The auxiliary bishop ran the archdiocese until a new archbishop was named. The two were not one in the same, as Archbishop Carlson took over.
 
There was an earlier story from the NBC afiliate TV Station (WOAI) that speculated on the possible candidates for new Archbishop:

woai.com/news/local/story/Archbishop-Gomez-leaving-so-whos-next-in-line/P8wxUTwyeUi0MVDOhg9LtA.cspx?rss=68

“There are five names that are coming up as strong possibilities to take the position and they are all from Texas…”

“Bishop James Tamayo, the Bishop of the Laredo Diocese the last ten years.”
“Daniel Flores, one of the youngest Bishops mentioned has been head of the Brownsville diocese since arriving from Detroit.”
“Bishop Joe Vasquez is the new bishop-elect of Austin, but that could change if the Vatican sees fit.”
“Patrick Zurek is the Bishop of Amarillo. He’s been there since 2008, but spent 10 years at the San Antonio diocese as auxiliary bishop.”
"And the current auxiliary bishop Oscar Cantu is also thought to be considered for the position. "

“Archbishop Gomez may be asked for his opinion in the matter, but it will ultimately be decided in Rome. The decsion could take six months to a year.”

The story above was published in early April of this year, so no telling if the speculation on candidates is still good or not. 😉
 
jenkiedad said:
There was an earlier story from the NBC afiliate TV Station (WOAI) that speculated on the possible candidates for new Archbishop:

woai.com/news/local/story/Archbishop-Gomez-leaving-so-whos-next-in-line/P8wxUTwyeUi0MVDOhg9LtA.cspx?rss=68

“There are five names that are coming up as strong possibilities to take the position and they are all from Texas…”

“Bishop James Tamayo, the Bishop of the Laredo Diocese the last ten years.”
“Daniel Flores, one of the youngest Bishops mentioned has been head of the Brownsville diocese since arriving from Detroit.”
“Bishop Joe Vasquez is the new bishop-elect of Austin, but that could change if the Vatican sees fit.”
“Patrick Zurek is the Bishop of Amarillo. He’s been there since 2008, but spent 10 years at the San Antonio diocese as auxiliary bishop.”
"And the current auxiliary bishop Oscar Cantu is also thought to be considered for the position. "

“Archbishop Gomez may be asked for his opinion in the matter, but it will ultimately be decided in Rome. The decsion could take six months to a year.”

The story above was published in early April of this year, so no telling if the speculation on candidates is still good or not. 😉
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Bishop Vasquez is no longer the bishop-elect, as he is now the actual bishop of the diocese of Austin.
 
benedictgal said:
Bishop Vasquez is no longer the bishop-elect, as he is now the actual bishop of the diocese of Austin.
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Would the fact that Bishop Vasquez is no longer the bishop-elect, but is now the installed Bishop for the Diocese of Austin, remove him from consideration for being considered for the vacant Archbishop position in San Antonio? :confused:
 
It would be quite unusual to have a bishop as new as Bishop Cantu chosen for the vacant office. Also its quite rare for someone who has been named to a new position in the last few years to be given a new assignment. (Cardinal George being an obvious exception.)

I would look for a bishop that has been serving as the ordinary of a smaller diocese who has been serving in that role for at least 5 years. There are several possibilities within Texas, but that doesn’t make them any more likely than someone from elsewhere in the country.

Obviously being fluent in Spanish would be a big help. Some experience as an administrator in a seminary would also be useful.
 
jenkiedad said:
Would the fact that Bishop Vasquez is no longer the bishop-elect, but is now the installed Bishop for the Diocese of Austin, remove him from consideration for being considered for the vacant Archbishop position in San Antonio? :confused:
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Very few priests have made the leap from cleric to archbishop. The one huge exception that I know of was one Fr. Joseph Ratzinger who was named Archbishop of Munich-Freissing by Pope Paul VI back in the 1970s and was created a cardinal shortly thereafter. But, these are very rare and far between.

I do not think that Rome is likely to pull a brand new bishop from his new see, especially since both Bishops Flores and Vasquez are relatively new to their posts. While Bishop Flores has had seminary experience, he also needs the experience of handling a diocese on his own. Archbishop Gomez did express his wish that his successor be fluent in Spanish.
 
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