Local bishops: Steubenville-Columbus diocesan merger in play

The bishops who lead the dioceses of Columbus and Steubenville in Ohio could present a merger plan to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as early as June 2024, according to the bishops of both dioceses.

It’s not yet a done deal, the bishops told the National Catholic Register, but staff members from the two dioceses met recently to exchange information. It could take about three or four months to determine whether a merger is feasible, Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus and Bishop Paul Bradley of Steubenville said.

If the two bishops, the papal nuncio, Ohio’s other bishops, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops agree, a plan would be submitted to Rome for the pope’s approval.

The bishops released a joint written statement Monday saying that the apostolic nuncio to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, “has asked the dioceses to work together to consider how different dimensions of the dioceses, including the temporal aspects of life, might be affected by such a proposal.” The bishops’ statement described merger talks as “very preliminary.”

A similar announcement in October 2022 by Bishop Jeffrey Monforton, Steubenville’s previous bishop, drew significant opposition from people in the diocese and from priests. 

“They felt like they had not been sufficiently consulted. They themselves were unaware. In fact, their reaction was one of shock – how could this be? And so I think that’s one of the reasons why now we want to have a wider consultative process,” Bishop Fernandes told the Register. 

On Monday afternoon, the Register conducted online interviews with Bishop Fernandes, who became ordinary of Columbus in May 2022, and Bishop Bradley, a recently retired diocesan bishop who became apostolic administrator of Steubenville on Sept. 28. 

The two bishops and key officials from both dioceses met Dec. 5. Among the details officials have to work out is how they might reconcile insurance coverage as well as salaries and pensions for priests and lay employees.

The bishops said the papal nuncio has encouraged the talks between the Diocese of Steubenville, which is decreasing in population, and the Diocese of Columbus, which is growing. 

“The question is not just, is this going to be for the good of the Church here in Steubenville?” Bradley said. “Is it going to be good for the Church in Columbus as well? For the Church as a whole? So I think those are also, as Bishop Fernandes said, that’s why we’re both being asked to look at all of the factors to contribute to the best possible decision that will be made.” 

The Diocese of Steubenville has faced financial troubles in recent years, including embezzlement and tax evasion.

The Register asked the bishops if merger talks suggest decline of the Catholic Church in the United States. 

“I would say it’s a time of transition. It’s not about decline. It’s about adjusting, trying to adjust to times of transition,” Bishop Bradley said. “And as Bishop Fernandes had alluded to, what the Holy Father is calling the whole Church to become aware of, we can’t just be about maintaining what is. We always need to be focused on how can we take the good news of the Gospel and bring it to the population around us that is increasingly unchurched, unevangelized.”

Matt McDonald is a staff reporter for the National Catholic Register and the editor of the New Boston Post.