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	Mystery Surrounds the Resignation of St. Catharines Bishop James Wingle By Grant Lafleche The Sudbury Star April 9, 2010 http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2527973 More than 24 hours after the Vatican announced it accepted the resignation of St. Catharines Catholic Bishop James Wingle, local believers are asking themselves the same questions: Why? What happened? Where is the bishop now? Wingle, who has not responded to several requests for an interview, left only a short four-paragraph letter to the diocese saying he was stepping down. In the letter, Wingle says he no longer has the stamina required to be the bishop of a diocese, asks for understanding for his shortcomings and says he is taking a sabbatical focused on "prayer and personal renewal." Exactly what that means is not clear. Some of those who attended the Easter celebrations Wingle presided over said the bishop looked tired, in contrast to his normal, energetic self. If he is ill, the letter does not say so. Msgr. Wayne Kirkpatrick, a ranking official at the diocese, said Wingle's reasons for leaving were not made known to him. " Bishop Wingle did not personally inform the staff of the Catholic Centre of his decision beyond the letter," Kirkpatrick wrote in an email to QMI Agency Th ursday. The office of the Archbishop of Toronto also had no more details about Wingle's resignation. Under church procedures, the bishop did not have to report to the archbishop regarding his resignation. Rather, Wingle contacted the Vatican through the Pope's ambassador in Ottawa. The ambassador was not in his office Thursday, and a spokeswoman at his office said questions should be directed to the Vatican's press office, which could not be reached Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, a Vatican news bulletin said the Pope had received and accepted Wingle's request to stand down. Wingle, a well-respected bishop and steadfast defender of Catholicism and Vatican policy who led a diocese that stretched across most of Niagara, may no longer be in the region. There was no one at his Riverview Boulevard home in Old Glenridge Thursday morning. A contractor working at the house across the street said there was a moving truck at Wingle's house earlier this week. However, there is still furniture and other items in the house. The bishop's housekeeper answered his phone later in the day, but said she could not assist in reaching him. The Catholic Centre also did not know where Wingle is. "I have no information of the present whereabouts of Bishop Wingle," Kirkpatrick wrote in his email. Wingle, 63, had been the bishop of the St. Catharines Diocese since 2002. His tenure was marked by an effort to engage young people in the church. Wingle was a key figure in organizing the 2005 World Youth Day in Toronto that featured a visit from the late Pope John Paul II. Wingle has been a member of the clergy since 1977. Prior to being appointed bishop for St. Catharines, he was the bishop of a diocese in Yarmouth, N.S. Next week, local church officials will choose an interim administrator who will govern the diocese until the Vatican appoints a new bishop.
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