St. Louis Archbishop-elect Robert J. Carlson

Pope Benedict XVI has named Robert James Carlson as the next Roman Catholic archbishop of St. Louis.

The 64-year-old archbishop-elect has led the Saginaw, Mich. diocese since 2005. He will be the 10th ordinary, or leader, of St. Louis Catholics since 1827.

Carlson’s new assignment was announced publicly at 5:18 a.m. St. Louis time on the Vatican’s website.

Carlson was also the bishop of Sioux Falls, SD for ten years before his tenure in Michigan. He succeeds Archbishop Raymond Burke, whose four-and-a-half year tenure as St. Louis Catholic leader ended in June when the pope named him to lead the Vatican’s supreme court.

Like Burke, Carlson is trained as a canon, or church, lawyer. Burke is now the head of the Vatican’s version of the supreme court.

From the Saginaw diocese’s website:

A native of Minneapolis, Minn., he was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1970 for the Archdiocese of St.…