The Roman Catholic Pope has appointed a new Bishop of Whitehorse.

In an announcement made this morning through the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Pope Benedict XVI appointed Gary Gordon, of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, to the position.

Gordon, according to the CCCB, was born in Burnaby, B.C. in 1957.

He studied at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, B.C.; at St. Jerome College at the University of Waterloo, Ont.; and St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ont.

Ordained into the priesthood on May 22, 1982, Gordon has served in several parishes throughout B.C., including Vancouver, Chilliwack and Mission.

Father Jim Bleackley, of the city's Sacred Heart Cathedral, said this morning the appointment of a new bishop is exciting and welcome after several years of the office remaining vacant.

Bleackley said the reason Whitehorse has been without a bishop since 2000 was because the Catholic Church was awaiting the outcome of abuse claims in former Yukon residential schools.

'I think what was going on in 2000 was the Diocese of Whitehorse was dealing with the claims that had come out of residential schools,' he said.

'At the time, there was a real concern that the amount of the claims would bankrupt the diocese.'

Bleackley said after the federal government had waded into the dispute and the Catholic Church had committed to contributing to a healing fund, the way was clear to appoint the new bishop.

'It's been a long time ... a (new) bishop will provide vision and act as a spiritual guide,' he said.

Gordon's appointment ends a nearly six-year vacancy following the accidental death of Most Rev. Thomas Lobsinger, the former bishop, in 2000.

Bishop Lobsinger and Brother Hoby Spryt were killed on April 15, 2000 when the bishop's Cessna aircraft crashed onto a frozen Fox Lake north of Whitehorse.

The accident report, written by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, stated that a whiteout was likely the cause of the crash.

The report also said Lobsinger did not have the training nor the experience to handle the flying conditions he was facing that day.

The Diocese of Whitehorse serves a population of 8,000 Catholics in 20 parishes and missions.

Other local representatives of the Catholic Church were unavailable this morning to comment on the appointment of the new bishop, who is expected to arrive in Whitehorse during the next three months.