The Church of St. Luke

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Venice, and has appointed Reverend Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap., as Bishop-elect of Venice. Father Biosca is a member of the Capuchin Franciscan Friars of the Province of Saint Augustine in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and currently serves as pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. 

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 13, 2026, by Monsignor Većeslav Tumir, chargé d’ affaires, a.i., of the Apostolic Nunciature in the United States. 

The following biographical information for Bishop-elect Biosca was drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Father Biosca was born on December 15, 1964. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Borromeo College in Wickliffe, Ohio (1987); a master’s degree in theology (1992) and a master of divinity (1992) from Oblate College in Washington, D.C.; and pursued studies (2004-2007) at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C., earning a licentiate in sacred theology.

He entered the Capuchin Franciscans on August 2, 1987, and made his perpetual profession to the religious order on August 17, 1991. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 1994. 

Father Biosca’s assignments after ordination include: serving as a missionary in Papua New Guinea from 1994 to 2006, where he was assigned to St. Mary, Queen of the Friars Minor parish in Kagua (1994-2001), and to the Pangia Capuchin Fraternity (2001-2004); he also served as a missionary in Cuba from 2007 to 2019, where he was assigned to the Capuchin Fraternity of Cristo de Limpias in Havana (2007), Iglesia Jesús de Miramar in Havana (2007-2008), Iglesia La Divina Pastora in Santa Clara (2008-2011), and Iglesia La Purísima Concepción in Manzanillo (2011-2019). He has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. since 2019.

Bishop-elect Biosca speaks Spanish and Tok Pisin (a Creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea).

The Diocese of Venice is comprised of 9,035 square miles in the State of Florida.

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