{{Short description|American Catholic prelate (born 1957)}} {{Use American English|date = March 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}{{Infobox Christian leader | honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend | name = Kevin Carl Rhoades | honorific-suffix = | bishop_of = Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend | image = Portrait of the Most Rev. Kevin C. Rhoades.jpg | caption = | archdiocese = | diocese = Fort Wayne-South Bend | see = | appointed = November 14, 2009 | enthroned = January 13, 2010 | retired = | predecessor = John Michael D'Arcy | successor = | ordination = July 9, 1983 | ordained_by = William Henry Keeler | consecration = December 9, 2004 | consecrated_by = Justin Francis Rigali, William Henry Keeler, and Thomas Olmsted | previous_post = {{unbulleted list| Bishop of Harrisburg (2004-2009) }} | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|11|26}} | birth_place = Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, US | death_date = | death_place = | buried = | nationality = | religion = Roman Catholic Church | coat_of_arms = | motto = ''Veritatem in caritate''<br /> (Truth in charity) | education = Mount St. Mary's University<br>St. Charles Borromeo Seminary<br>Pontifical Gregorian University<br>Pontifical University of Salamanca }}
{{Infobox bishopstyles | name= Kevin Carl Rhoades | dipstyle= *His Excellency *The Most Reverend | offstyle=Your Excellency | relstyle=Bishop | image = Coat of arms of Kevin Carl Rhoades.svg | image_size = 200px }}
'''Kevin Carl Rhoades''' (born November 26, 1957) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana since 2009. He previously served as Bishop of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2009.
In 2021, Rhoades led the United States Conference of Bishops' Committee on Doctrine, which targeted President Joe Biden for his stance on abortion.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Dias |first1=Elizabeth |title=Targeting Biden, Catholic Bishops Advance Controversial Communion Plan |journal=New York Times |date=18 June 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/18/us/targeting-biden-catholic-bishops-advance-controversial-communion-plan.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage}}</ref> In 2025, he was elected Secretary of the USCCB, the third-highest ranking position in the conference.
==Biography==
=== Early life === Kevin Rhoades was born on November 26, 1957, in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania to Charles and Mary Rhoades. The second of three children, he has an older brother and a younger sister. His father was a cousin of Republican State Senator James J. Rhoades. Raised in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Rhoades graduated from Lebanon Catholic High School in 1975.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Bishop Bio |url=https://diocesefwsb.org/bishop-bio/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=The Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend |language=en-US}}</ref>
Having decided to enter the priesthood, Rhoades enrolled at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, for two years. Rhoades applied to the Diocese of Harrisburg for placement in the program of priestly formation, and in 1977 entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Charles in 1979.<ref name=":2" />
In 1979, Rhoades entered the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He also studied Spanish at the Pontifical University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain, during the summer of 1982. Archbishop Terence Cooke ordained him a deacon at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in 1982. Rhoades obtained his Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the Gregorian University in 1983.<ref name=":2" />
=== Priesthood === Rhoades was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Harrisburg by Bishop William Keeler at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, on July 9, 1983.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Bishop Kevin Carl Rhoades [Catholic-Hierarchy] |url=https://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/brhoa.html |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=www.catholic-hierarchy.org}}</ref>
After his 1983 ordination, the diocese assigned Rhodes as parochial vicar at St. Patrick Parish in York, Pennsylvania. During this time, he also ministered in the Spanish-speaking apostolates at Cristo Salvador Parish in York and Cristo Rey Mission in Bendersville, Pennsylvania. In 1985, Rhoades returned to the Gregorian University, earning a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1986 and a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1988.<ref name=":2" />
After returning to Harrisburg in 1988, Keeler named Rhoades as assistant chancellor. He also served as director of the Spanish apostolate in Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry counties. In 1990, Rhoades was appointed pastor of Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Harrisburg, serving there for five years. In 1995, he became a professor at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, teaching in systematic theology, canon law, and Hispanic ministry. Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo appointed Rhoades as rector of Mount St. Mary's in July 1997.<ref name=":2" />
===Bishop of Harrisburg=== <!-- Deleted image removed: center|thumb|200px|Coat of Arms as Bishop of Harrisburgh --> On October 14, 2004, Rhoades was appointed as the ninth bishop of Harrisburg by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on December 9, 2004, from Cardinal Justin Rigali, with Keeler and Bishop Thomas Olmsted serving as co-consecrators.<ref name=":3" /> Rhoades selected as his episcopal motto: ''Veritatem In Caritate'', meaning, "Truth in Charity" (Ephesians 4:15 in the New Testament).
Within the USCCB, Rhoades was a member of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, the Committee on Pastoral Practices, and the Subcommittee on the Catechism. He chaired the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.
In 2006, Rhoades recommended to the Vatican that Reverend William Presley be laicized. Presley had faced allegations of sexual abuse in the 1970s when he was assigned to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. In his letter, Rhoades termed Presley as a "sexual predator" and a danger to the Catholic community. The Presley case was revealed in 2018 by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury investigation of sexual abuse in the church.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Caleb |first=Bauer |date=August 21, 2018 |title=Bishop Rhoades' actions in sex abuse cases by two Pennsylvania priests detailed in report |url=https://www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2018/09/18/bishop-rhoades-actions-in-sex-abuse-cases-by-two-pennsylvania-priests-detailed-in-repor/46488155/ |access-date=2022-01-08 |website=South Bend Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> The grand jury also revealed that in 2007 Rhoades told the Vatican that he had ordered a second priest accused of sexual abuse to spend the rest of his life in penance. In both cases, Rhoades reported the accused priest to law enforcement, but not to the general public, fearing a scandal.<ref name=":0" />
===Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend=== On November 14, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Rhoades as the ninth bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend. At a special Vespers service at the Cathedral on Sunday, January 3, 2010, the Diocese of Harrisburg made a formal farewell to Rhoades. In 2011, he became the first bishop to grant an imprimatur to an iPhone application.<ref>[http://www.zenit.org/article-31640?l=english Zenit: iPhone Confession App Receives Imprimatur] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002031431/http://www.zenit.org/article-31640?l=english |date=2012-10-02 }}, zenit.org; accessed December 18, 2015.</ref> During the 2017 Fall General Assembly of the USCCB, Rhoades was elected chair of the Committee on Doctrine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U. S. Bishops Vote for Conference Secretary, Chairman and Chairmen-Elect of Six Committees at Fall General Assembly in Baltimore |url=http://www.usccb.org/news/2017/17-220.cfm |access-date=2017-11-19 |website=US Conference of Catholic Bishops |language=en}}</ref> Under his leadership, the committee voted to deny the eucharist to Democratic Catholic politicians who supported the right to abortion, including President Joe Biden.<ref name=":4" />
On August 1, 2018, Bishop Ronald Gainer, the bishop of Harrisburg, announced that he was removing the names of every bishop of Harrisburg from 1947 onward—including Rhoades'—from any building or room in the diocese named in their honor. Gainer took this action due to the bishops' failures to protect parishioners from sexual abuse by clerics. A room in St. Patrick Cathedral had been named after Rhodes.<ref name="WPost_2018.08.01">{{cite news |date=August 1, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Pennsylvania diocese will remove every bishop's name since 1947 from buildings because they failed to root out child sexual abuse |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/08/01/pennsylvania-diocese-will-remove-every-bishops-name-since-1947-from-buildings-since-they-failed-to-root-out-child-sexual-abuse |last=Zauzmer |first=Julie |access-date=August 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/us/bishop-harrisburg-sex-abuse.html|title = Pennsylvania Diocese Orders Removal of Former Bishops' Names from Church Buildings|newspaper = The New York Times|date = August 2018|last1 = Goodstein|first1 = Laurie}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
On September 18, 2018, Rhoades released the names of 18 priests and deacons in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend who had credible accusations of sexually abusing minors.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2018 |title=Diocese releases list of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse |url=https://wsbt.com/news/local/diocese-to-release-list-of-priests-credibly-accused-of-sex-assault |access-date=February 9, 2024 |website=WSBT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Holly V. |title=Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese releases names of 18 priests or deacons accused of sex abuse |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/09/18/catholic-church-sex-abuse-fort-wayne-south-bend-indiana-diocese/1340562002/ |access-date=September 9, 2018 |website=IndyStar}}</ref> That same month, an unidentified male claimed that Rhoades had sexually abused him as a minor. After a brief investigation, the Dauphin County District Attorney declared the accusation to be unfounded.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2019-07-25|title=Bishop Rhoades named in lawsuit alleging sex abuse cover-up|url=https://www.wane.com/top-stories/bishop-rhoades-named-in-lawsuit-claiming-sex-abuse-cover-up/|access-date=2022-01-08|website=WANE 15|language=en-US}}</ref>
A lawsuit against Rhoades and the Diocese of Harrisburg was filed in July 2019 by Donald Asbee, a Pennsylvania resident. Asbee alleged that he was sexually abused as a boy by two diocesan priests and that the diocese and its bishops tried to cover up the priests' crimes. The diocese had offered Asbee a $176,875 settlement, but he rejected it and sued instead.<ref name=":1" />
Rhoades is a leading member of the USCCB's National Eucharistic Revival. For the Feast of Corpus Christi in 2022, he arranged a eucharistic procession in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend which drew nearly 5,000 participants and garnered national attention.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Madelaine |date=2022-06-20 |title=Communion in Action: Indiana Procession Highlights Universal, Missionary Dimensions of Eucharistic Faith |url=https://www.ncregister.com/news/communion-in-action-indiana-procession-highlights-universal-missionary-dimensions-of-eucharistic-faith |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=NCR |language=en}}</ref> On November 16, 2022, Rhoades was elected as chair of the USCCB's Committee on Religious Liberty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yoder |first=Katie |date=2022-11-16 |title=Bishop Burbidge Elected to Pro-Life Chair; Other Votes Signal No Dramatic Policy Shifts |url=https://www.ncregister.com/cna/bishop-burbidge-elected-to-pro-life-chair-other-votes-signal-no-dramatic-policy-shifts |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=National Catholic Reporter |language=en}}</ref>
In 2025, Rhoades spoke out against the Trump administration's denial of sacraments to Catholic immigrant detainees.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham |first1=Ruth |last2=Ismay |first2=John |title=Bishops With Ties to Trump Commission Criticize Treatment of Immigrants |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/us/trump-bishops-communion.html |access-date=November 9, 2025 |work=The New York Times |date=November 6, 2025}}</ref>
On November 12, 2025, Rhoades was elected secretary of the USCCB, the third-highest position in the conference. He defeated Archbishop James F. Checchio, and succeeded Archbishop Paul Stagg Coakley, who had been elected president.
==See also== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * 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 {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.diocesefwsb.org/ Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend] official website *[http://www.hbgdiocese.org/bishop/Bishop_index.html Diocese of Harrisburg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505122052/http://www.hbgdiocese.org/bishop/Bishop_index.html |date=May 5, 2007 }} official website
==Episcopal succession==
{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend | before=John Michael D'Arcy| after=Incumbent | years=2010–present }} {{succession box | title=Bishop of Harrisburg | before=Nicholas C. Dattilo| after=Joseph P. McFadden| years=2004–2009 }} {{s-end}}
{{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Indiana}} {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne–South Bend}} {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhoades, Kevin C.}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:People from Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania Category:21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Fort Wayne–South Bend Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Harrisburg Category:Mount St. Mary's University alumni Category:St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Category:Pontifical University of Salamanca alumni