Fall River Diocese Welcomes New Bishop

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts has a new bishop.

Pope Francis on Thursday appointed The Rev. Edgar Moreira da Cunha, currently an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, as the eighth bishop of Fall River.

The 60-year-old da Cunha will be installed on Sept. 24.

Da Cunha is a native of Brazil who was ordained in New Jersey in 1982.

The diocese, established in 1904, has more than 300,000 Catholics who attend 84 parishes and 11 mission churches in southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

Da Cunha takes over for Bishop George Coleman who submitted his letter of resignation upon turning 75 in February in accordance with church law. Coleman has led the diocese since 2003.