TOWNSVILLE’S new bishop, Michael Putney, told a crowd of more than 1000 people at his installation on March 27 that he has come back to listen and to learn from them.
On a sweltering night in Holy Trinity Church, Mundingburra, the former auxiliary bishop from Brisbane returned to the northern city in which he grew up, and officially took up his new posting.
Bishop Benjamin, who became Townsville’s pastoral leader in 1984, had waited more than a year for his replacement after resigning when he reached 75, as is required by canon law.
He formally presented the new bishop to the people and then led him to the episcopal chair and presented him with the crozier, symbol of episcopal authority.
The papal nuncio, Archbishop Francesco Canalini, led visiting clergy, including Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane, Archbishop Leonard Faulkner of Adelaide and a former Bishop of Townsville, and Archbishop Adrian Doyle of Hobart.
