Community Corner
Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon to Step Down
Citing health reasons for retirement, Lennon known for successful fundraising and shuttering dozens of parishes.
(Originally posted on Dec. 28, 2016) CLEVELAND, OH — Bishop Richard Lennon of the Diocese of Cleveland is retiring due to health issues, according to a statement released early Wednesday by the diocese. His duties will be performed by Bishop Daniel Edward Thomas from Toledo, Cleveland.com reported. In February, Lennon, 68, underwent an emergency heart procedure after complaining of chest pains.
Lennon, who was installed as the 10th bishop of the Cleveland diocese in May 2006, is best known for a controversial decision to close about 30 churches in northeast Ohio in 2009 and 2010. The decision affected about 700,000 parishioners.
The Boston native served as the interim administrator of the Boston Archdiocese in 2002 after Cardinal Bernard Law resigned under the cloud of a sex-abuse scandal involving priests.