Detroit's Catholic leader replaced

• Vigneron led through a time of much political upheaval, advocating anti-LGBTQ+ views while also expressing support for undocumented immigrants and encouraging interfaith dialogue, the Free Press reports.

State of play: The archbishop's replacement appointed by Pope Francis is Bishop Edward Weisenburger, 64, an Illinois native who grew up in Oklahoma. He's moving up from a mission in Tucson consisting of 400,000 Catholics.

• Weisenburger, who speaks Spanish, has a track record in support of immigrants in a diocese close to the border, according to the Freep. He also spoke on environmental issues, saying the U.S. has contributed substantially to climate change, per the National Catholic Reporter.
• Early in his career, Weisenburger worked in prison ministries and was a chaplain on site for rescue workers after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Context: As the Catholic church stipulates, Vigneron submitted his resignation when he turned 75 in 2023. The pope accepted it Monday.

Zoom out: According to the National Catholic Reporter, more than 20 dioceses across the country are like Detroit, with leaders over age 75. Pope Francis stands to replace many of these.

• "These openings present (Francis) with an ongoing opportunity to reshape the U.S. hierarchy and imprint his legacy on an American episcopacy that has been reluctant to embrace his pastoral priorities," the Reporter writes.