Bishop Gerald Kicanas

Catholic Bishop Gerald Kicanas cited the โ€œcommon mission ... of caring for the poor.โ€

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson's Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas turned 75 Thursday.

That's big news because bishops must submit a letter of retirement to Rome when they hit that benchmark, according to the church's canon law.

Kicanas will continue to serve the diocese as bishop until Pope Francis selects his replacement โ€” and that can take up to six months or longer.

After about 15 years of serving the diocese, Kicanas, a Chicago native, has made Tucson his home.


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Contact reporter Johanna Willett at jwillett@tucson.com or 573-4357. On Twitter: @JohannaWillett