Pope Francis named Bishop Chad W. Zielinski, 57, the fifth bishop of the Diocese of New Ulm on Tuesday. The selection was announced by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. 

Two of the challenges that the church faces currently are “spiritual apathy” and declining numbers of church membership, Zielinski said. He also hoped for parishioners to be unapologetic about their faith. 

“It’s almost like there is a disrespect or a disdain for anything that comes forth with Christian values,” he said. “Obviously, we have the freedom to believe what we want and not push it in somebody’s face. But, it’s almost like there’s a diabolical advancement in our society. Evil tries to confront the goodness that Jesus is about spreading on this earth.”