By Matt Sepic, KWMU
Belleville, Ill. – Catholics in the Belleville Diocese got word Tuesday that they'll be getting a new bishop.
Bishop Edward Braxton of Lake Charles, Louisiana will succeed Wilton Gregory, who was transferred to Atlanta.
At a news conference in Belleville, Braxton said he was surprised by the appointment.
"We don't have a personnel board. We don't send our resumes to someone in Rome, and we don't anticipate vacancies and say 'I like that place, I'll put my name in for that,'" he said. "It doesn't work like that."
Braxton says the first challenge will be getting to know the diocese. He also said he'd consider meeting with members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
"I have chatted with people from SNAP, and I have visited with them informally," Braxton said. "It would all depend on the circumstances. But I would not have an a priori opposition to doing so."
Braxton was Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis before he went to Lake Charles in 2001.
He'll likely be installed in Belleville in May or June.