Bishop to retire after 20 years at the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte
A longtime bishop at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte will be retiring after 20 years of leadership.
On Tuesday, the church announced that 67-year-old Bishop Peter J. Jugis would be retiring due to health limitations.
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“As some of you may know, I have been dealing with a kidney issue that limits my ability to travel and limits my ability to officiate at lengthy events,” Jugis said.
During his tenure, Jugis oversaw investigations into abuse inside the church.
In 2019, he released a list of priests credibly accused of assault in the diocese dating back to the 1970s.
Pope Francis then appointed 62-year-old Father Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., as his successor.
Martin served as pastor of St. Philip Benizi Parish in Jonesboro, Georgia. He has deep roots in Catholic education and arrives at a time of record enrollment in the diocese’s 20 schools, according to the church.
He will be installed as the fifth bishop of Charlotte next month.
“I got to get out and meet people,” Martin said. “I got to get out to all the corners of the diocese and get to know who all of you are and get to know your stories.”
The bishop-elect will serve 530,000 Catholics in the Carolinas, and bordering states.
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