Columbus Diocese to close 15 churches; bishop calls for stronger Catholic engagement
The Vatican on April 2, 2022, announced that Pope Francis had appointed Father Earl K. Fernandes to be the next bishop of the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. / Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.Denver Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 15:40 pm (CNA).Ohio's Catholic Diocese of Columbus will close 15 churches as part of a parish reorganization and merger plan, but Bishop Earl K. Fernandes emphasized new possibilities for growth, especially if lay Catholics take on more responsibility for the Church's future."When I arrived, I said I'm not interested in presiding over 25 years of decline in the di...