Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Ronald Herzog of Alexandria; Succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop David Talley

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Ronald P. Herzog, 74, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana. Bishop David P. Talley, 66, up until now coadjutor bishop of the same diocese, will succeed him as bishop of Alexandria.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, February 2, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Talley was born in Columbus, Georgia on September 11, 1950. He pursued seminary studies at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in Indiana and was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Atlanta in 1989. He holds a doctorate in canon law from the Gregorian University in Rome. In 2001, Pope John Paul II named him a prelate of honor with the title of monsignor. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Atlanta, on January 3, 2013. Pope Francis appointed him as coadjutor bishop of Alexandria on September 21, 2016.

Bishop Talley currently serves as chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and as a member of USCCB's Committee on National Collections and Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Bishop Ronald P. Herzog was born April 22, 1942 in Akron, Ohio. He was ordained a priest on June 1,1968; he was appointed bishop of Alexandria on November 4, 2004, and ordained a bishop on January 5, 2005. Bishop Herzog most recently served as a consultant on the USCCB's Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

The Diocese of Alexandria comprises 11,108 square miles in central Louisiana. It has a population of368,065 people of whom, 36,280, or 10 percent, are Catholic.  

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