Robert Nugent Lynch

Robert Nugent Lynch (born May 27, 1941) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg in Florida from 1996 to 2016.

Biography

Early life Robert Lynch was born on May 27, 1941, in Charleston, West Virginia. He grew up in Montgomery, West Virginia, to an Irish-American family that expected him to become a priest. Lynch soon entered the Pontifical College Josephinum. However, he found the college to be a dark, rigid place with strict rules and limited communication with his family. Eventually, Lynch dropped out and started working as an English teacher.

Lynch's next job was as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C., representing the Ohio Catholic Conference at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). After his ordination, Lynch served as associate pastor of St. James Parish in North Miami, Florida, and rector and president of St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami. His last assignment before becoming bishop was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as the second pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish. In 2001, Bill Urbanski, the diocese spokesman, accused Lynch of inappropriate behavior during a business trip. Urbanski said Lynch bought him lavish gifts, forced to him to share a hotel room, grabbed his thigh, and asked Urbanski to photograph him topless for a gag picture. The diocese denied any wrongdoing and paid Urbanski $100,000 severance. Lynch apologized for his actions.

Retirement and legacy Pope Francis accepted Lynch's resignation as bishop of Petersburg on November 28, 2016, and named Bishop Gregory Parkes as his successor.