Лео Бинц: Американский католический прелат

American prelate

Leo Binz (October 31, 1900 – October 9, 1979) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Dubuque (1954–1961) and as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis (1962–1975). A native of Illinois, he became a priest in 1924 and a bishop in 1942.

Leo Binz was born in Stockton, Illinois, the third child of Michael and Thecla (née Reible) Binz. The family lived on a small farm near the Mississippi River, east of Dubuque, Iowa. Following his confirmation, a young Binz declared to Bishop Peter Muldoon, "I'm going to be a bishop!" From 1924 to 1926, while pursuing his doctoral studies, he taught at the North American College. He also established Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, centralized all the offices of the diocese, and started the plans for building the first cathedral in Winona. Binz was named to the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control and was one of only seven members of the 72 member commission to vote that artificial birth control was intrinsically evil. On July 11, 1966 the Holy See altered the name of the archdiocese to reflect the equal stature of the Twin Cities by naming the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis as co cathedral of the archdiocese and adding Minneapolis to the title of the archdiocese. Subsequently, Binz was the first archbishop to hold the title of Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. As his health began to decline, Binz requested and received a coadjutor. Pope Paul VI named the Coadjutor Bishop of Wichita Leo Christopher Byrne coadjutor archbishop on July 31, 1967. Binz allowed Archbishop Byrne to take greater control of the administration of the archdiocese. Byrne, however, died on October 21, 1974. Pope Paul VI accepted Archbishop Binz's resignation on May 25, 1975. He died four years later on October 9, 1979, in Maywood, Illinois. Archbishop Binz was buried with other archbishops of the archdiocese at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.