New auxiliary bishop named for St. Paul-Minneapolis

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is getting a new auxiliary bishop.

Andrew Cozzens (Photo courtesy of University Relations)
Andrew Cozzens (Photo courtesy of University Relations)

The Vatican announced Friday that Pope Francis has appointed Andrew Cozzens to the high-ranking administrative post.

Minnesota Public Radio News reports Cozzens has been an assistant professor at the St. Paul Seminary since 2006. He is a Connecticut native and has been a priest since 1997.

The archdiocese has previously had a single auxiliary bishop, Lee Piche. It’s unclear why Cozzens is being appointed or what role Piche might have going forward.

The announcement comes as the archdiocese is facing scrutiny for the way it handled allegations of sexual misconduct by priests.