Catholic Archbishop John J. Myers has died at age 79.
Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria announced his predecessor's death on Thursday. Myers served as bishop in Peoria from 1990 to 2001. He was later appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., where he served until 2016.
Myers faced criticism for his handling of a church sex scandal in Newark in the early 2000s. The large home he moved into and renovated in Pittstown, N.J. following his retirement also received scruitiny. The Archdiocese of Newark later sold the home when Myers moved back to Illinois to live closer to family.
Jenky said Myers died at a care facility in Ottawa. His funeral will be held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, and he will be buried in the Bishops' Sepulchre at St. Mary's Cemetery in Peoria.
Myers was born in Earlville in 1941.
Further details on the wake and funeral will be released at a later date.
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