WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Burlington, Vermont, as coadjutor archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut.
Archbishop-elect Coyne, who turned 65 June 17, has headed the statewide Burlington Diocese since 2015. Before that he was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis from 2011 to 2015.
He will serve alongside Archbishop Leonard P. Blair, 74, who has served as Hartford’s fifth archbishop since he was installed in December 2013. Archbishop Blair turns 75 next April, which is the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope.
The appointment was publicized in Washington June 26 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
As coadjutor, Archbishop Coyne will automatically succeed Archbishop Blair upon his retirement.
The Archdiocese of Hartford covers nearly 2,300 square miles and is made up of three counties, Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven. It has a Catholic population of 427,669 out of a total population of over 1.9 million.
