Orange County Bishop Named

Pope John Paul II today named Bishop Norman F. McFarland as the new Roman Catholic bishop for Orange County, succeeding the late William R. Johnson. McFarland, 64, had been bishop of Reno-Las Vegas Diocese for the last 10 years and became known for his outspoken opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion.

Meanwhile, three new auxiliary bishops were appointed by the Pope for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the most populous and heavily Latino archdiocese in the United States. The appointments of Father Patrick Ziemann, 45; Father Armando Ochoa, 43, and Father P. Carl Fisher, 41, reflect the archdiocese’s growing ethnic diversity, Archbishop Roger Mahony said. Ochoa is Latino and Fisher is black.