Yakima Prelate To Lead Portland Archdiocese

Bishop Francis E. George of Yakima will be installed as the ninth archbishop of Portland during a Mass on May 27 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the church his predecessor built.

George, 59, was named by Pope John Paul II to succeed Archbishop William J. Levada, who moved to the Archdiocese of San Francisco last October.

In Portland, George will serve as spiritual leader to 274,800 Catholics in western Oregon. He will oversee 150 parishes and missions and a parochial school system with 15,000 students.

Founded in 1846 as the Archdiocese of Oregon City, the Portland Archdiocese is the second oldest in the United States.

George is said to have an affable disposition and quick humor.

He defends the Vatican’s stance on such issues as abortion, the ordination of women and doctor-assisted suicide.

“The faith is not political; it’s revealed,” George said. “I accept, totally, the teachings of the church.”