Edward James Burns (born October 7, 1957) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Dallas in Texas since 2017. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Juneau in Alaska from 2009 to 2017.
Before becoming a bishop, Burns spent nine years working for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). As bishop, he has served as chair of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and as a member of its Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions. He speaks Spanish and English.[1]
Biography
Early life and education
Edward James Burns was born on October 7, 1957, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Donald and Geraldine (née Little) Burns. He has a brother, Robert. Edward Burns attended Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, graduating in 1973.[2]
Burns served in Washington D.C. as executive director of the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for nine years, beginning in 1999. His office produced a DVD titled Fishers of Men, a documentary on the lives of priests. Burns published a booklet, We Were There, that described the experiences of priests who served at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In 2002, Burns was named as co-chair of a Vatican-ordered congress on vocations in North America. From 2005 to 2006, he provided support for a Vatican review of all Catholic seminaries in the U.S.[5] Burns received the title of monsignor from the Vatican in 2006.[1] In 2008, he returned to Pittsburgh to resume his jobs as rector of St. Paul Seminary and vocations director for the diocese.[2]
On August 18, 2018, Burns informed parishioners at St. Cecilia Parish in Dallas that their pastor, Reverend Edmundo Paredes, had been removed from ministry in 2017 because of verified allegations of child sexual abuse and the theft of parish funds. The diocese had immediately reported Paredes to law enforcement, but he fled the country before he could be arrested.[10]