UNITED STATES
Crux Now
October 23, 2017
By Christopher White
As Bishop Gerald Kicanas prepares to hand over the reigns of the diocese of Tucson, Arizona next month, he looks back on his 51 years as a priest and a Church that has dramatically changed since he was first ordained. In an interview with Crux, Kicanas laments the current polarization in the Church and says he hopes to see more “Francis-like actions” by the U.S. bishops.
When Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, officially hands over the reigns of his diocese to his successor next month, he says he’ll leave behind a place that seemed virtually in ruins when he got there, but which has now been remade.
In the spirit of Pope Francis, Kicanas is proud to boast that his diocese is eager to “share the journey” and to promote Christian discipleship in its totality. Such a mission, he says, requires both administrative savvy and an attractive witness to the gospel – both of which have defined the bishop’s time in Tucson.
Kicanas arrived in Tucson in 2001 to serve as coadjutor bishop of the diocese right as the clergy sexual abuse crisis was close to a boiling point. The diocese, then led by Bishop Manuel Moreno, had been plagued by numerous sexual abuse cases from previous years, and together he and Bishop Kicanas put the house in order.
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