Pope Francis made the appointment of Weisenburger, most recently bishop of Diocese of Tucson, after officially accepting the resignation of Allen Vigneron as archbishop in Detroit. The resignation and appointment were announced Tuesday in Washington, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Weisenburger, 64, has led the Catholic diocese in Tucson, Arizona, an area bordering Mexico that has seen thousands of immigrants enter in recent years. The Catholic leader has been on the front lines,

Most recently, he was the Bishop of Tucson, Arizona. There, he made headlines in 2018 when he suggested “canonical penalties” for Catholics who were involved in separating immigrant families at the US-Mexico border.

Pope Francis has named a new head of the Archdiocese of Detroit, a bishop from Arizona who was introduced to the community Tuesday at a Sacred Heart Major Seminary news conference and joked about the contrast in the weather.

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Bishop Edward Weisenburger, 64, as the archbishop-elect to succeed 76-year-old Archbishop Allen Vigneron. Weisenburger will be fully installed as the new archbishop during a ceremony at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on March 18.

Pope Francis appointed Wednesday morning a new leader of the Catholic Church in metro Detroit, naming Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson, Arizona, as the next archbishop of Detroit, replacing Allen Vigneron.

Detroit – Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger as the sixth Archbishop of Detroit. He currently is Bishop of the Diocese of Tucson.