THE Catholic Bishop of Wagga, the Most Reverend Gerard Hanna, has officially notified parishes of his retirements plans.
A newsletter went out to all parish priests last week telling them Bishop Hanna planned to step down around September.
The information was published in some parish newsletters.
However, a spokesman for the diocese said on Tuesday that while the bishop had applied for early retirement there was still no word back from church officials the application had been approved.
“The plan is to step down around September, but it won’t be confirmed until approved by the nuncio,” the spokesman said.
Bishop Hanna has been in charge of the diocese since May 15, 2002.
He succeeded Bishop William Brennan and is the fifth Bishop of Wagga.
Health challenges are said to be the reason for Bishop Hanna’s planned retirement just short of the requirement for Catholic bishops to retire at the age of 75.
