Briefs = Florida Episcopal bishop to convert to Roman Catholicism; St. Patrick’s selling sweatshop goods? Horse racers to be compensated for pope's trip; This Week in Prelate Moves

The pre-Thanksgiving, pre-snowstorm, roundup:

• Bishop John B. Lipscomb, who led the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida until stepping down in September, announced Tuesday his intention to leave the Episcopal Church to join the Roman Catholic Church. In a letter to the diocese, Lipscomb said he has written to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, asking “to be released from my ordination vows and the obligations and responsibilities of a member of the House of Bishops. I have taken this step in order to be received into the Catholic Church." | Read more... | Previously: In 1994, the Episcopal bishop of Fort Worth converted as well, a move that in recent years has become more common, especially this year. | Thanks, Fr. J.!
  
  
• John Sullivan in the New York Times: A workers’ rights group yesterday accused St. Patrick’s Cathedral of selling religious items made under terrible conditions in sweatshop factories in China. The group, the National Labor Committee, which has unearthed past examples of abusive work conditions, said it had bought crucifixes in the Roman Catholic cathedral that had been assembled by workers toiling under deplorable conditions. At a morning news conference outside St. Patrick’s, Charles Kernaghan, the group’s executive director, brandished one of the crucifixes from the shop. | Read more...
  
  
• Rob Taylor of Reuters: Australia's horse racing industry will get A$41 million ($37 million) in compensation to cover lost profits caused by Pope Benedict's coming visit to a Sydney racecourse, officials said on Thursday. Following months of squabbling over plans for Catholic World Youth Day to be held at inner Sydney's Royal Randwick racecourse next year, national and state governments agreed to a taxpayer compensation deal, Racing New South Wales Chief Executive Peter Vlandys said. | Read more...
  
  
• This Week in Prelate Moves: Monday, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Timothy Broglio, apostolic nuncio to the Dominican Republic, to head the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services. The archbishop succeeds Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, who was installed archbishop of Baltimore in October. | On Tuesday, Benedict XVI named Bishop Michael W. Warfel of the Diocese of Juneau to head the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings. Warfel will be the seventh bishop of eastern Montana, succeeding Bishop Anthony M. Milone, who resigned for reasons of health in July 2006. | Also Monday, The Most Rev. Jaime Soto was welcomed as the next bishop to the Sacramento area's 500,000 Catholics in a two–hour bilingual Mass on Monday that drew church leaders from across the West. Soto, a former auxiliary bishop of Orange County who is active in social justice issues, will serve as assistant or coadjutor to Bishop William K. Weigand. Soto, 51, will become bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento when Weigand, 70, eventually retires.

Photo from Soto's Mass of welcome: Randall Benton/Sacramento Bee