Pope Francis picks Malone for bishop post in Louisana

Pope Francis has appointed Monsignor Francis Malone of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock to be the next bishop of Shreveport, La.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, made the announcement Tuesday.

Malone, 69, will be installed as bishop Jan. 28 at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport. He replaces Bishop Michael Duca, who led the diocese until his installment as bishop of the Baton Rouge, La., diocese last year, according to the Shreveport diocese website.

“I stand before you this morning, as you will soon discover, a very imperfect man, with the shortcomings and weaknesses that always brought me closer to the embrace of the Lord’s grace and mercy,” Malone said Tuesday during the announcement in Shreveport. “In this I think we’re all alike as we make our journey through this life to the next, with our ultimate goal of looking into the face of God.”

Little Rock Diocese Bishop Anthony Taylor, who joined Malone at the announcement, said the bishop-elect would be a “real gift” to the church and would be missed in Little Rock.

“We are proud he can serve the Lord in this new way,” Taylor said. “It will be hard to replace him, but we are all one church, [and] he has the full package of the gifts needed to be a bishop.”

Bishop appointments are a monthslong process, with the pope having final say on who becomes a bishop. Once a candidate is chosen, the apostolic nuncio, a representative of the pope, contacts the appointee, who then chooses whether to accept the role.

Malone was ordained a priest in the Little Rock diocese in May 1977, according to a news release from the Holy See Press Office. He has served in more than a dozen Arkansas parishes, which includes spending several years teaching at Mount Saint Mary Academy High School in Little Rock. He also has served in advisory capacities for the diocese, held the role of director of communications and occupied a supervisory role from 1995-98 for the diocese’s newspaper, Arkansas Catholic, according to the diocese.

Malone was pastor of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Little Rock and served as pastor at Immaculate Conception and St. Anne parishes in North Little Rock before being appointed to lead Christ the King in 2001.

Kathy House, a member of Christ the King, said Malone called her at 5 a.m. Tuesday and told her the news of his appointment.

“He wanted to be sure I heard [the news] from him before I read about it,” said House, who said she’s had the most interaction with Malone in her role as principal of the 600-student Christ the King Catholic School in Little Rock. “I said, ‘I can’t let myself be sad when I’m so happy for you.’

“It’s such a great honor, and he was chosen by the pope to do this, so that’s huge. So I can’t let my sadness in any way overshadow the happiness we have for him and the Diocese of Shreveport for all the good work he’s going to do there.”

“It’s a whirlwind around here today,” Patty Barnett, Malone’s administrative assistant for the past 16 ½ years, said Tuesday.

Barnett said Malone has helped her learn a great deal about the workings of the Catholic church and has shown a gift for choosing staff who are a good fit for their roles at Christ the King.

“He’s a man with great vision,” Barnett said. “He sees what needs to be done, and he makes goals. … He’s been there for his people, and Shreveport’s going to be very fortunate to get him. He’s not afraid of work or of tackling a big project and seeing it through until the end.”

Dennis Lee, spokesman for the Little Rock diocese, said a pastor hasn’t yet been appointed to take Malone’s place at Christ the King.

Malone