Australian bishop seeks coadjutor, eyes early retirement

September 21, 2009

Bishop Michael Malone of Australia's Maitland-Newcastle diocese has revealed that he has asked the Vatican to appoint a coadjutor, making the diocese ready for his own departure after "15 difficult years," although at the age of 70 he remains five years short of the normative retirement date. Bishop Malone has been an outspoken critic of the Church's handling of sex-abuse complaints. He has also come under scrutiny from Rome because of his pastoral initiatives. Early this year the Vatican ordered the cancellation of a proposed joint Confirmation service at which Bishop Malone was to be joined by his Anglican counterpart.

 

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Further information:

• I Want Out: Bishop Malone's plea to Pope (The Herald)
• Vatican nixes joint Catholic-Anglican confirmation rite in Australia (CWN, Mar 2)