More from Mandeville

We now have a better indication of the circumstances behind the resignation, accepted this morning, of the US-born Bishop Gordon Bennett, SJ of Mandeville, Jamaica.

I'm told that, indeed, the bishop -- who will be 60 in October -- stood down for reasons of health; primarily a stomach condition which has plagued him for some time, but also fatigue from the task from handling the daunting assignment of the violence-torn Jamaican interior. He is returning home to the Jesuits' California Province for a period of treatment and rest.

Meanwhile, the US bishops are already chomping at the bit -- and, likely, jumping in front of each other -- to welcome Bennett home and bring him to their dioceses, either for retreats or on a more stable basis.....

SVILUPPO: I had learned the following earlier but was asked not to post it in light of the sensitivity of the situation. CNS, however, has run with it:

Bishop Bennett, who will turn 60 in October, has headed the Mandeville Diocese since September 2004. The Vatican announced his resignation Aug. 8. Father John P. McGarry, provincial of the Jesuit California province, to which Bishop Bennett is attached, said in an e-mail to province members that Bishop Bennett "will be returning to California for medical assessment and treatment for fatigue and depression."

Please keep a place for Bishop Bennett, and all those suffering from depression and all other forms of mental illness, in your prayers.

-30-