VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul has named a new bishop for Palm Beach, Florida, to succeed a prelate who resigned in the child sex abuse scandals that have rocked the United States Catholic Church.
The Vatican said on Tuesday the Pope had chosen Monsignor Sean Patrick O'Malley, a member of the Capuchin branch of the Franciscan order, as new bishop of the Florida city.
A 58-year-old native of Ohio, O'Malley is a former bishop of Fall River, Massachusetts.
His predecessor in Palm Beach, Bishop Anthony O'Connell, resigned earlier this year after admitting that he molested a former seminary student more than 25 years ago.
The diocese has been run by a interim bishop since O'Connell resigned.