Frederick F. Campbell

Frederick Francis Campbell (born August 5, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Campbell served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 2005 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in Minnesota from 1999 to 2004.

Biography

Early life The second of six children, Frederick Campbell was born on August 5, 1943, in Elmira, New York, to Edward and Dorothy Campbell. He studied at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, obtaining a Bachelor of Foreign Language degree magna cum laude in 1965. In 1967, Campbell received a master's degree at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and in 1973 a Doctor of History degree.

After his ordination, Campbell served as an associate pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in St. Anthony, Minnesota, until 1987, and then as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Hopkins, Minnesota, from 1987 to 1994. He was installed on January 13, 2005, by Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.

In 2005, Campbell proposed the establishment of a civil registry of priests from the diocese who had been "credibly accused" of sexual abuse. Campbell testified in 2006 against a proposed law in the Ohio General Assembly that would have allowed a 20-year statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. In his testimony to the legislature, Campbell claimed that the 20-year for prosecution window wasn't fair and would curtail the church's charitable work. In the end, the Assembly passed the legislation with a 10-year window.

In May 2007, Campbell suffered a minor heart attack. On March 30, 2009, doctors amputated his left leg below the knee after diagnosing him with squamous cell carcinoma. He also had osteomyelitis in multiple bones in his foot, and an open wound that would not readily heal. After Heidtman filed suit, two other students came forward with accusations again Bennett. The diocese settled the lawsuit with Heidtman in 2020 for $1 million.

Retirement and legacy Pope Francis accepted Campbell's letter of resignation as bishop of Columbus on January 31, 2019. Campbell was subsequently appointed apostolic administrator for the diocese and remained in that role until the installation of Bishop Robert J. Brennan as his replacement on March 29, 2019. As of 2022, Campbell was still serving in the diocese and as a professor at the Pontifical College Josephinum, teaching primarily history.