Archbishop William E. Lori, Archbishop of Baltimore, issued the following statement on the death of Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo, Bishop of Richmond, VA.
“I’ve known Bishop DiLorenzo since he was auxiliary bishop in Scranton and then bishop in Honolulu and Richmond. We’ve been working more closely together in the last five years since I’ve been in Baltimore.
“He was a good moral theologian. By all accounts, he was an excellent seminary rector and he was a bishop who cheerfully did whatever the Church asked of him. He had a personality that was larger than life and he had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a realist who understood how to face difficult situations, but he always brought good things out of those situations.
“He’s leaving the Diocese of Richmond in a very good and strong position and I pray that God will give him the reward of his labors.”
The Diocese of Richmond is a suffragan see of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Baltimore. Archbishop Lori will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial for the late Bishop DiLorenzo on Friday, August 25th at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond.