More than half of Catholic Archdiocese of Denver is
Latino, and observers say it would make great sense for
the successor to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput to be
Hispanic.
However, there is a shortage of Latino bishops available
for the top job in the archdiocese.
"Virtually every diocese in the southwestern U.S. has
that same shopping list," said Regis University vice
president for mission Tom Reynolds. And many
dioceses with upward of 70 percent Latino membership
have an arguably stronger claim.
Latinos make up about 52 percent of the archdiocese's
550,000 Catholics, while ethnicity in the general
population in its 25-county area in northern Colorado is
70 percent Anglo, 21 percent Latino and 9 percent
others.
