Bishop reaching age limit of 75

Church law requires that Bishop Raymundo J. Peña submit his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI next month when the leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville turns 75 years old, but whether or not the pope accepts it remains to be seen.

The Code of Canon Law states that "a diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances."

Peña turns 75 on Feb. 19.

Diocese of Brownsville spokeswoman Brenda Nettles Riojas noted, "The letter is submitted to the pope and it is the pope who determines when he accepts it. Nothing changes until the Holy Father appoints a successor. Until his successor is installed the bishop remains as the official shepherd of the diocese."

Rev. Thomas Reese told The Brownsville Herald Friday, "It is quite conceivable that you would not see a replacement until the summer. Sometimes, the pope decides to keep bishops for a long time."

Reese, a Jesuit and author of numerous church-related works including "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church (Harvard University Press, 1977)," also pointed out that there presently are about 16 active bishops in the United States who are 75 years old.

There are roughly 27 bishops who will turn 75 this year and whose resignations potentially could be accepted.

"That's a lot of vacancies," Reese added. The pope appoints replacements.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reports that there are 269 active bishops in the U.S.

Canon law also states that "a bishop whose resignation from office has been accepted retains the title of emeritus of his diocese and can retain a place of residence in that diocese if he so desires, unless in certain cases the Apostolic See provides otherwise because of special circumstances."

Furthermore, "The conference of bishops must take care that suitable and decent support is provided for a retired bishop, with attention given to the primary obligation which binds the diocese he has served."

The code also includes provisions for bishops who cannot adequately fulfill the office due to ill health and they are "earnestly" requested to present their resignations from office.

Regarding Peña's health, Nettles Riojas said that the bishop is "doing quite well."

"I don't know how he does it," she said, pointing to the bishop's full schedule of Masses and confirmations besides leading the diocese. "He is continually on the move. He is a man who stays very focused. He is a man completely devoted to his ministry."

Peña is the fifth bishop to lead this diocese, which was established in 1965 when Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties were separated from the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Reese suspects that the reasoning behind the 75-year-old limit for bishops was that people live longer due to improvements in health care. And while they can be physically well, he said, some might not be mentally capable of doing the job or providing leadership "and it was very difficult to get them out."

Peña is originally from Corpus Christi and was ordained to the priesthood in May of 1957. In October 1976 he was named titular bishop of Trisipa and Auxiliary to the archbishop of San Antonio. He was appointed bishop of El Paso in 1980 and appointed bishop of Brownsville in May of 1995.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville operates 107 parishes and missions for the nearly 800,000 Catholics who live in the Rio Grande Valley. (Nearly 1.2 million people live in the four-county area that the diocese serves in the Valley.) Catholics are served through a shrine and retreat center, twelve parochial schools, five centers for social services, three homes for the aged, and religious education programs at all parishes and missions.

Source: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville and the U.S. Census Bureau

Bishops who served the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

July 1965: Bishop Adolph Marx, a native of Germany who served as auxiliary bishop of Corpus Christi, was appointed the first bishop of Brownsville.

April 1966: Rev. Humberto S. Medeiros, a native of the Portuguese Azores, who also served the Diocese of Fall River, Mass.

April 1971: Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick, a native of Canada, also served as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Miami, Fla.

November 1991: Bishop Enrique San Pedro, a Cuban-born Jesuit, also was auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston.

May 1995: Bishop Raymundo J. Peña was appointed the fifth bishop of Brownsville. He also served as bishop in El Paso.

Source: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville