Paul Francis Leibold

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Paul Francis Leibold (December 22, 1914 - June 1, 1972) was a U.S. archbishop. He served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cincinnati between 1969 and 1972.

Paul Francis Leibold was born in Dayton, Ohio, on December 22, 1914. He was educated at Chaminade High School (Dayton, Ohio)and the University of Dayton.

He was ordained a priest in Cincinnati, May 18, 1940. Early assignments within the diocese were pastor of St. Louis Church in Cincinnati, and assistant chancellor and chancellor for the archdiocese of Cincinnati. On April 10, 1958 he was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati. He was ordained bishop June 17, 1958 and at the same time he was made titular bishop of Trebenna. Principal Consecrator was Archbishop Karl Joseph Alter.

Possibly the most historical event of his career happened as a result of his acting as spiritual director for a young nun living in Ohio and Indiana. In 1963, as Monsignor Leibold, he issued an imprimatur to a diary of private revelations written by Sr. Mildred Ephrem Neuzil while she was serving at a convent (Kneipp Springs) in Rome City, IN. It was here that she claimed she was visited multiple times by the Virgin Mary who declared herself to be "Our Lady of America" and gave her important messages to be given to America's Bishops..

After issuing his imprimatur to the messages written down by Sr. Neuzil, later on, as Archbishop of Cincinnati, he went on to commission a statue, plaques, and even a medal to take these apparitions to the second level of Church confirmation.

If the third, and final, approval is made by the Conference of American Bishops, it would be the only confirmation of an apparition in all of the United States by the Catholic Church. This would put this event on an equal basis with the events at Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France.

On April 4, 1966 Paul Francis Leibold was appointed Bishop of Evansville, Indiana, and installed as Bishop of the diocese June 15, 1966. Bishop Paul Francis Leibold was appointed to Cincinnati July 23, 1969 following the retirement of Archbishop Alter at the same time. Upon installation as Archbishop, Paul Francis Leibold became seventh Bishop and sixth Archbishop of Cincinnati.

He served the Archdiocese until his untimely death on June 1, 1972. He is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[edit] Tributes

Bishop Leibold School, a Miamisburg, Ohio parochial school was named for Bishop Leibold.

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Preceded by
Henry Joseph Grimmelsman		 Bishop of Evansville
1966–1969		 Succeeded by
Francis Raymond Shea
Preceded by
Karl Joseph Alter		 Archbishop of Cincinnati
1969–1972		 Succeeded by
Joseph L. Bernardin