Archbishop Jackels Announces Retirement

Dubuque Archbishop Michael Jackels has announced his immediate retirement due to health reasons. In a letter addressed to the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and posted on the archdiocesan website, Jackels wrote that he has asked Pope Francis to accept the resignation. Jackels, who will turn 69 on April 13, was hospitalized for a heart attack in early May 2019. He returned to his work six weeks later. Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Richard Pates, retired Bishop of Des Moines, to serve as apostolic administrator until the next Archbishop of Dubuque is named. A former bishop of Wichita, Kansas, Jackels, was appointed by Pope Francis as the 12th head of the Dubuque Catholic Archdiocese in 2013.