Bishop Ricard asks pope if he can retire

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The Most Rev. John H. Ricard, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, has asked Pope Benedict XVI for permission to retire.

"Bishop Ricard has submitted to the Holy Father his letter requesting early retirement for reasons of health," diocese spokeswoman Peggy DeKeyser said Tuesday. "When we receive a response, a public announcement will be made."

Ricard, 70, suffered a stroke on Dec. 22, 2009, and was admitted to Sacred Heart Hospital in critical condition.

He underwent multiple surgeries and weeks of physical rehabilitation following the stroke.

He returned to a limited work schedule Jan. 19, 2010, but he was rehospitalized in February after collapsing while celebrating a funeral Mass in Panama City.

Following the collapse, Ricard underwent another surgery to treat a hematoma on his brain, and he has been gradually resuming his administrative and sacramental duties since Easter, diocese officials said.

Ricard, a native of Baton Rouge, La., became bishop of the Pensacola-Tallahassee diocese in 1997.

Ricard is the fourth bishop of the diocese and its first black bishop.

The diocese includes 18 counties in Northwest Florida and 57 parishes and missions, serving a Catholic population of just under 64,000 parishioners, diocese officials said.

via pnj.com

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