Replacement in Spokane

As local Catholics await the appointment of a new Spokane bishop, a special panel will meet Thursday to discuss and possibly appoint an interim diocesan administrator.

A group of eight priests was chosen by outgoing Bishop Blase Cupich to serve on the panel, called the College of Consultors. The administrator they choose will have the power of a bishop until Pope Francis appoints a replacement for Cupich, who assumed the role of Archbishop of Chicago on Tuesday.

Diocesan administrators attend to the business of the diocese without altering the course of diocese policies or ministries.