Edward Braxton

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Bishop Edward Kenneth Braxton (June 28, 1944) was a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago when he was appointed bishop by Pope John Paul II on March 28, 1995. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop of Saint Louis, Missouri, by Justin Francis Rigali on May 17, 1995, in the city's Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Braxton was installed as Bishop of Lake Charles February 21, 2001. On 22nd June, 2005 he was installed as Bishop of Belleville in the Cathedral of Saint Peter. He succeeded a fellow African American prelate, Wilton D. Gregory.

Braxton is a member of USCCB's Committees on Education, Science and Human Values, and also of the committee on Scripture Translation. He serves as the convenor of the African American Catholic Bishops.

He is regarded as being a pastoral theologian, who earned his MA and S.T.L. from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and S.T.D. in Systematic Theology from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Braxton, a native of Chicago, has long been involved in interracial and intercultural dialogue. He has lectured in major cities and townships of South Africa during their annual "winter school." His participation in Jewish-Christian dialogue has taken him to Israel several times. Bishop Braxton's personal interest in the impact of the arts (especially film, television, music, architecture, sculpture, and painting) on religion in contemporary culture is a key factor in his current research.

In August 1997, Bishop Braxton addressed the National Black Catholic Congress on the topic "Take Into account Various Situations and Cultures: Evangelization and African-Americans."

The Bishop's writings have appeared in the Harvard Theological Review, Theological Studies, Louvain Studies, Irish Theological Quarterly, The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Origins, Commonweal, America, The National Catholic Reporter, and other journals.

According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the Diocese of Belleville finance council filed a complaint with the Vatican because Braxton misused funds.^[1] Theses sentiments were first expressed in a letter written by Sister Jan. E. Renz, the U.S. regional superior of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ.

Preceded by Wilton Daniel Gregory	Bishop of Belleville 2005–	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Jude Speyrer	Bishop of Lake Charles 2000–2005	Succeeded by Glen John Provost