Pope Francis appointed Washington Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville Feb. 1, 2023, as bishop of Houma-Thibodaux, La. Bishop Dorsonville is pictured during a 2021 session of the bishops' general assembly in Baltimore. (OSV News photo/CNS file, Bob Roller)

Washington Auxiliary Bishop Dorsonville appointed to head diocese in Louisiana

February 1, 2023
By OSV News
OSV News Filed Under: News, World News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Pope Francis has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington to head the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana.

The appointment was publicized Feb. 1 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States.

The Colombian-born bishop, 62, was named a Washington auxiliary bishop by the pope March 20, 2015, and he was ordained to the episcopate on April 20 of that year. He has served as vicar general for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2015.

The 3,500-square-mile Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is in southeastern Louisiana. Out of a total population of 257,423, there are 81,512 Catholics.