Pope elevates Denver priest as new bishop in Iowa diocese

A longtime Denver priest was named Thursday as Roman Catholic bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, the first appointment of a U.S. bishop to bear the mark of Pope Benedict XVI and further proof of Denver's status as a training ground for church leaders.

Monsignor R. Walker Nickless, 58, will lead 100,000 Catholics in a 24-county, mostly rural diocese that, like Denver, is coping with the impact of multiple lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests.

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