The Bishop of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese will meet in Rome with Pope Francis next week, according to local church officials.

A news release from the Diocese says Bishop David Bonnar will be at St. Peter’s Basilica to celebrate Mass with the Pope, followed by an audience with Pope Francis and 179 bishops from around the world who have been ordained between 2019 and 2022.

This Annual Course for the Formation of New Bishops was delayed for several years due to the pandemic.

The meeting with Pope Francis will conclude a week of formation for new bishops that began on September 12.

Pope Francis appointed Bishop Bonnar the sixth Bishop of Youngstown on November 17, 2020, and he was ordained and installed as bishop on January 12, 2021, at Saint Columba Cathedral.