World’s second-oldest bishop is a staunch defender of the unborn and the Latin Mass

(LifeSiteNews) — Today, I want to tell you about a very special bishop.

He’s the oldest living bishop in the United States and the second oldest living bishop in the world — at the time of broadcasting this video, he’s just coming up to 101-and-a-half years old.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1923, he was a fighter pilot in the Second World War — later joking with Benedict XVI that he may have been dropping bombs on Munich while Benedict was defending it and shooting at him.

He became a Benedictine monk in 1951, angering his father in so doing, and was ordained a priest in 1959.

Finding monastic life was not for him, he left in 1959 and was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Miami.

In 1971, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Miami and was given his own diocese in 1975. In 1983, John Paul II appointed him as the diocesan bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas.

That’s right, if you don’t know it by now, I’m talking about Bishop René Henri Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi.

Let us explore the life of the world’s second oldest bishop. This is The John-Henry Westen Show.

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John-Henry is the co-founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of LifeSiteNews.com. He and his wife Dianne have eight children and they live in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada.

He has spoken at conferences and retreats, and appeared on radio and television throughout the world. John-Henry founded the Rome Life Forum, an annual strategy meeting for life, faith and family leaders worldwide. He is a board member of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family. He is a consultant to Canada’s largest pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and serves on the executive of the Ontario branch of the organization. He has run three times for political office in the province of Ontario representing the Family Coalition Party.

John-Henry earned an MA from the University of Toronto in School and Child Clinical Psychology and an Honours BA from York University in Psychology.