Episcopal Bishop Has Surgery to Remove Foot

Episcopal Bishop J. Jon Bruno, who heads the six-county Los Angeles diocese, underwent surgery earlier this week to amputate his left foot and ankle to stop a persistent staph infection, the diocese said Wednesday.

The infection, which initially began as an upper-respiratory condition in October, had settled in the bones of the foot, an area that is particularly difficult to treat due to poor blood circulation, church officials said.

Bruno, who is in an undisclosed hospital, has been fitted with a temporary prosthesis and will receive a permanent one.