In a rare move, Pope Francis has appointed a coadjutor bishop to assist, and then succeed, a leading Argentine prelate who is already past retirement age.
Bishop Óscar Vicente Quintana of San Isidro, Argentina, submitted his resignation to Pope Francis in October 2021, when he turned 75. Rather than accept his resignation, as is customary, Pope Francis has left him in office, naming Auxiliary Bishop Guillermo Caride, a priest of the diocese, as his coadjutor.
The Pope’s decision to leave Bishop Quintana in office is a sign of the Pope’s confidence in him. Bishop Quintana is the current president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference and has served in that office since 2017.
In a 2019 interview, Pope Francis revealed that he had asked Bishop Quintana to choose the investigator in the initial canonical inquiry into allegations against Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta. “I made him choose,” the Pope said.