'Soy puro gringo': Watch Fresno's new Irish bishop speak in Spanish

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The new bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Joseph V. Brennan, will be taking the place of Armando Ochoa on May 2.

He's of Irish descent, as he mentioned several times during a press conference on Tuesday.

But months before he takes over the position, Brennan has already demonstrated his love for the culture of the Latino population of the city - with his passion for Spanish.

"Soy puro gringo. Soy puro norteamericano," he said at a press conference on Tuesday, minutes after he answered a reporter's question in Spanish.

But he explained that he'd been studying the language for a long time and was continuing to learn.

"I fell in love with the culture early in my seminary days, fell in love with the language. I'm still in love," he explained.

Brennan has served for years as the Episcopal Vicar in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The current bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, Armando Ochoa, has just turned 75, which is the mandatory retirement age for bishops.