Edward Weisenburger

Edward Joseph Weisenburger (born 23 December 1960) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Detroit since 2025. He previously served as Bishop of Tucson from 2017 to 2025 and as Bishop of Salina from 2012 to 2017.

Biography

Edward Weisenburger was born in Alton, Illinois, on December 23, 1960, to Edward and Asella (Walters) Weisenburger. He grew up primarily in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he attended St. Barbara School and graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1979. He began his studies at Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, graduating with honors in 1983. and then attend the American College Seminary at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He earned his Bachelor of Theology and Master of Religious Studies degrees in 1986. He received his Master of Arts in Religious Studies and Master of Moral and Religious Sciences degrees in Leuven in 1987.

On December 19, 1987, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City by Archbishop Charles Salatka. After his ordination, the Archdiocese assigned him to St. Mary Parish in Ponca City, Oklahoma.

He began studying at St. Paul University in Ottawa in 1990, earning a Licentiate of Canon Law degree in 1992. He returned to Oklahoma, and was appointed as Vice Chancellor and adjutant judicial vicar for the Archdiocese.

Weisenburger was appointed pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Okarche, Oklahoma from 1995 to 2002. In 1995, he also began 17 years of service on the Council of Priests and the Archdiocesan college of consultors. After the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, he volunteered as an on-site chaplain for rescue workers. In 1996, Archbishop Eusebius J. Beltran named him as Vicar General of the archdiocese.

In 2002, Weisenburger was named pastor and then rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. He was also promoter of justice for the canonization of Reverend Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma priest murdered in 1981 by a death squad in Guatemala. On October 2, 2009, Weisenburger was appointed a prelate of honor with the title monsignor..

Bishop of Salina

He was appointed Bishop of Salina by Pope Benedict XVI on February 6, 2012.

Bishop of Tucson

On October 3, 2017, Weisenburger was named the seventh Bishop of Tucson by Pope Francis. He was installed on November 29, 2017.

Archbishop of Detroit

On February 11, 2025, Weisenburger was appointed as Archbishop of Detroit, succeeding Allen Vigneron. His installation occurred on March 18, 2025.

A month into his tenure as archbishop, Weisenburger announced that parishes in the archdiocese would be prohibited from celebrating the Tridentine Mass, citing Pope Francis' restrictions in '' Traditionis custodes''. While the rite will no longer be allowed in parish churches after July 1, it will still be allowed in non-parochial settings like St. Joseph Shrine, which is under the care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest as well as 4 other designated non-parochial settings. Weisenburger's decison sparked deep backlash among traditionalist Catholics in the archdiocese, who called it a "bloodbath" and "a personal assault."

Positions

Sexual abuse

During his tenure in Oklahoma City, Bishop Weisenburger was criticized by survivors and advocacy groups like the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) for the Archdiocese's response to sexual abuse allegations. Critics argue that there was a lack of transparency and action in dealing with accused priests.

In 2018, as Bishop of Tucson, Weisenburger announced that 10 employees had been fired due to sexual misconduct allegations over the past decade.

Illegal Immigration

Weisenburger has been outspoken in support of illegal immigration, despite the involvement of human and sexual trafficking, particularly at the U.S.–Mexico border. His suggestion at a 2018 conference of bishops to issue canonical penalties, potentially including a denial of Holy Communion or excommunication, to Catholic federal agents that follow U.S. immigration laws sparked significant controversy. This stance placed him in opposition to other bishops at the conference and other Catholic clergy. His call for the Church to act as a "sanctuary for the human person" has been interpreted as the Church overstepping into political realms, igniting debates on the separation of church and state, particularly in how religious institutions should engage with government policies.

As Bishop of Tucson, Weisenburger faced scrutiny for his oversight of illegal alien support programs, particularly the Casa Alitas shelter operated by Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona. Casa Alitas, which provides temporary shelter, food, and medical care to illegal aliens who were caught and released from U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody, operates multiple facilities in Tucson, including a high-profile site at a repurposed Ramada Hotel. While Weisenburger framed these efforts as a moral imperative rooted in Catholic teachings on human dignity, critics raised concerns about transparency, funding, and the diocese’s role in managing large-scale migrant influxes. In 2024, U.S. Congressman Juan Ciscomani, representing Arizona’s 6th District, called for a federal investigation into Catholic Community Services’ use of taxpayer funds for Casa Alitas, alleging potential financial mismanagement and a contractor-hiring violation involving inflated charges by a laundry service. The accusations sparked debate over whether the diocese had adequately supervised the program’s operations. Pima County officials confirmed an ongoing investigation into compliance with federal and county grant rules, intensifying public skepticism about the shelter’s funding and management. Consequently, many Catholic contacted Weisenburger stating their disapproval of this operation. They demanded he employ the power of his office, and immediately and publicly cease aiding and abetting migrants who are illegally entering the United States. He attempted to justify his operation by claiming none of the migrants being served are present illegally, but failed to address the fundamental question of whether these migrants illegally entered the United States.

Climate change

While advocating for environmental stewardship aligns with Pope Francis's "Laudato si'", Weisenburger's push for local action on climate change has been met with resistance from those who view environmental activism as outside the traditional scope of Church doctrine or as politically motivated. His positions have been criticized for impacting local economies, especially in Arizona, where water and resource management are contentious issues.

COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

The COVID-19 pandemic, prompted governments, employers, and institutions to implement vaccine mandates to curb the spread of the virus despite the lack of evidence. In the United States, these mandates often allowed exemptions for medical or religious reasons, prompting some Catholics to seek religious exemptions based on moral concerns about the vaccines’ development. Catholic teaching, as articulated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in its December 2020 “Note on the Morality of Using Some Anti-Covid-19 Vaccines,” provided a framework, emphasizing that vaccination is not a moral obligation and must be voluntary, acknowledging the role of personal conscience in decision-making.

Despite this, in August 2021, Weisenburger issued a statement to his clergy, directing them to reject Catholics seeking religious exemptions from vaccine or mask mandates. He argued that “all current anti-Covid-19 vaccines may be received without moral compromise,” citing the CDF’s 2020 note about the moral distinction between formal and material cooperation. He acknowledged the ethical concerns about fetal cell lines but maintained that the Church’s teaching resolved these concerns, making exemptions based on Catholic faith untenable. Catholics, citing the Church’s social teaching on the primacy of conscience, argued that their moral objections to the vaccines warranted religious exemptions. The Pontifical Academy for Life further supported conscientious objection to vaccines linked to abortion-derived cell lines, suggesting that such objections are valid. These teachings provided a foundation for Catholics seeking exemptions, particularly when mandates threatened livelihoods or access to public services.

See also

* Catholic Church hierarchy
* Catholic Church in the United States
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Official SiteRoman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Official SiteRoman Catholic Diocese of Salina Official Site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisenburger, Edward
1960 births
Living people
Roman Catholic archbishops of Detroit
Roman Catholic bishops of Salina
People from Alton, Illinois
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Religious leaders from Oklahoma
People from Hays, Kansas
Catholics from Illinois
Catholics from Kansas
Catholics from Oklahoma
Saint Paul University alumni