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	South Carolina's Roman Catholic Bishop to Leave for Birmingham Diocese No Timetable for Successor's Appointment By Carolyn Click The State August 14, 2007 http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/145918.html Bishop Robert J. Baker, leader of South Carolina's 176,372 Roman Catholics, was appointed Tuesday by Pope Benedict XVI as bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala. Baker will remain as administrator of the Diocese of Charleston until October. Diocese spokesman Stephen Gajdosik said he hopes a successor will be appointed within a year. "How blessed I have been these past eight years as your bishop," Baker said in a letter to parishioners. "We have seen growth in numbers, but most importantly we have experienced, I am confident to say, a growth in faith through the power of God's grace working among us." He is a "people's bishop," said the Rev. Richard Harris, pastor of Columbia's St. Joseph's Catholic Church. "He loved to be among the faithful. He was across the diocese, always on the go." Baker was instrumental in establishing protocols to prevent priest sexual abuse of minors, a scandal that has rocked the church. And he was among a small group of Southern bishops who signed a statement in 2004 saying that politicians who support abortion rights should be denied holy communion. The Birmingham diocese is smaller than South Carolina's but is home to the Eternal Word Television Network, an influential Catholic broadcasting operation. Contact: Carolyn Click cclick@thestate.com
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