Former Priest Arrested; New Orleans Gets Coadjutor

Federal agents arrested Mark Francis Ford, 64, a former Vincentian priest who served in Louisiana gubernatorial administrations, in Portage, Indiana on a New Orleans warrant accusing him of first-degree rape, kidnapping, sexual battery and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The alleged victim, now 31 with a degenerative spinal condition and on the autism spectrum, says he first met Ford through a program for children with disabilities and reported abuse to New Orleans police in November; Ford remains jailed without bail awaiting extradition as prosecutors and civil counsel pursue the case amid ongoing revelations about clergy abuse in the archdiocese. Separately, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop James F. Checchio, who has led Metuchen since 2016 and formerly served as rector of the Pontifical North American College, as coadjutor archbishop of New Orleans with the right of succession to replace Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond. The appointment is intended to ensure an orderly succession while the archdiocese completes a roughly $230 million proposed settlement for abuse survivors and navigates bankruptcy proceedings. Survivors and local faithful expressed hope Checchio will confront the archdiocese’s abuse legacy, but Checchio said he currently sees “no reason” to investigate Aymond and emphasized he needs time to learn the archdiocese before setting priorities. In Vatican personnel news, Pope Leo XIV also named Archbishop Filippo Iannone prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, his first major departmental appointment since becoming pope.