Following is a statement from the Diocese of Madison:
MADISON — As Catholics of the Diocese of Madison mourn the loss of our beloved bishop, many have asked questions about what happens next.
In the coming days, weeks, and years those questions will be answered in due course. Most immediately, we were until this afternoon a ship without a helmsman. While we will patiently and prayerfully await for the appointment of the fifth Bishop of Madison, we needed a diocesan administrator.
A group of priests of the Diocese of Madison known, in Church parlance, as the College of Consultors met today with the task of electing a diocesan administrator. The nine priests unanimously elected Msgr. James Bartylla, most recently the Vicar General for Bishop Morlino, and previously the Vocations Director, and Master of Ceremonies to the bishop.
In an email earlier today to the priests, Msgr. Jim stated, “I am humbled to say that I was elected the diocesan administrator and accepted the position, effective immediately.”
Under Church law, the Diocesan Administrator is a priest elected by the College of Consultors and who is at least 35 years-old, known to be a man of sound doctrine and prudence such that he can oversee the administrative functions of a Diocese until a new Bishop is appointed and installed.
Please continue to keep Bishop Morlino, the Diocese of Madison, and all people in the 11-county diocese in your prayers.