CALIFORNIA
Mercury County Weekly
April 30, 2018
Sara Rubin
Since Pope Benedict XI appointed Richard Garcia as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Monterey in 2006, he has been the spiritual leader of tens of thousands of parishioners at dozens of churches in a region that spans from Santa Cruz to Hollister to San Luis Obispo.
On April 27, the diocese announced Garcia, 71, has been diagnosed with an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, following several weeks of not feeling well.
“This news is difficult to learn, but Bishop Garcia has great faith and a deep spiritual life to assist him in facing this diagnosis,” a diocese statement says.
“This news has taken some time for bishop to adjust to as it has only been in the last few weeks that signs of this disease have become more pronounced and evident to him.”
According to the statement, no decisions about future leadership have yet been made. …
Garcia also made news when came under scrutiny for failure to take action against a priest accused of sexually abusing boys despite receiving letters from parents alerting him to the abuse. Instead, Fr. Edward Fitz-Henry was moved from parish to parish, and continued to contact with youth, until he was eventually removed from the priesthood.
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