Pope Creates Diocese for Maronites in Western U.S. : Catholicism: The jurisdiction, called an eparchy, will be headed by Bishop John G. Chedid.

Pope John Paul II has created a diocese headquartered in Los Angeles for Catholics of the Maronite rite in the western United States.

The Maronites are one of 18 Eastern rite Catholic churches in communion with Rome. The group’s communicants are primarily Lebanese immigrants and Lebanese Americans. There are an estimated 15,000 Maronite Catholics in California.

The new diocese, or eparchy, will be headed by Bishop John G. Chedid, who has lived in Los Angeles since 1956 and has served as pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon-St.Peter Church in Los Angeles.

Until his appointment as a diocesan bishop here, Chedid, 69, had also served as an auxiliary bishop for the nationwide Eparchy of St. Maron, headquartered in Brooklyn, N.Y. The western diocese was carved out of the national eparchy.

In an interview, Chedid said Rome first began speaking of a separate western diocese about five years ago. “To tell you the truth,” Chedid said with a laugh, “I was opposed to it. But I could not oppose it anymore.”

He said he expects the creation of the regional diocese to give Maronite Catholics in the western United States more contact with their bishop and called it “the most wise decision that the Holy See has done.”

“I do hope and pray that the bishop being among his people and the different programs you would have will be beneficial to the people,” Chedid said. “That’s the goal of the whole thing--to serve the people in a more efficient way.”

Chedid’s enthronement as bishop is tentatively scheduled for June 25.