OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 26 February 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Claudio Giuliodori as ecclesiastical assistant general of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuorem Italy. Bishop Giuliodori was previously bishop of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia, Italy.

- appointed Msgr. Claudio Iovine as relator of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Msgr. Iovine was previously a research assistant of the same dicastery.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 23 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Fr. Pietro Lagnese as bishop of Ischia (area 46, population 58,800, Catholics 55,400, priests 42, permanent deacons 10, religious 46), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Vitulazio, Campania, Italy in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1986. Since ordination he has served in several pastoral and administrative roles, most recently as pastor of Santa Maria dell’Agnena in Vitulazio, Italy.

- appointed Bishop Dagoberto Sosa Arriaga as bishop of Tlapa (area 6,990, population 506,000, Catholics 473,000, priests 50, religious 77), Mexico. Bishop Dagoberto, titular of Gummi in Byzacena, was previously auxiliary of Puebla de los Angeles, Puebla, Mexico.

- appointed Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Archbishop Emilio Carlos Berlie Belaunzaran, of Yucatan, Mexico, as members of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

- appointed as members of the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon: in the class of architects: Dr. Mario Botta, Dr. Maria Antonietta Crippa, and Dr. Lorenzo Bartolini Salimbeni; in the class of painters and filmmakers: Pedro Cano; in the class of sculptors: Giuseppe Ducrot, Mimmo Paladino, and Ugo Riva; and in the class of writers and poets: Laura Bosio, Luca Doninelli, and Vincenzo Cerami.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Fr. Miguel Angel Olaverri Arroniz, S.D.B., as bishop of Pointe-Noire (area 13,500, population 2,384,000, Catholics 1,392,000, priests 76, religious 89), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bishop-elect was born in Pamplona, Navarre, Spain in 1948 and was ordained a priest in 1976. Since ordination he has served in several missionary, congregational, and pastoral roles in African dioceses, most recently in DR Congo as apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Pointe-Noire, director of National Caritas, Migrant Pastoral Services, and the Justice and Peace Commission, and president of the national office for Social Communications.

- erected the Diocese of Gamboma with territory taken from the Diocese of Owando, Democratic Republic of the Congo, making it a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville.

- appointed Fr. Urbain Ngassongo as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Gamboma (area 38,400, population 193,000, Catholics 110,000, priests 15, religious 14), Democratic Republic of the Congo. The bishop-elect, previously secretary of the Episcopal Conference of DR Congo, was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1996. Since ordination he has served in several academic and pastoral roles, most recently as pastoral administrator of Balvano in Potenza, Italy.

- appointed Msgr. Ettore Balestrero as apostolic nuncio to Colombia, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and assigning him the titular see of Vittoriana. The archbishop-elect, previously under-secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, was born in Genoa, Italy in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1993. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1996, he has served as a papal legate in Korea, Mongolia, Holland, and in the section of Relations with States of the Secretariat of State.

- appointed Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele as apostolic nuncio to El Salvador. Archbishop Badikebele, titular of Magnetum, was previously apostolic nuncio to Ghana.

- appointed Msgr. Miroslaw Adamczyk as apostolic nuncio to Libera, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop and assigning him the titular see of Oticoli. The archbishop-elect was born in Gdansk, Poland in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1987. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1993, he has served in the apostolic nunciatures of Madagascar, India, Hungary, Belgium, South Africa, and Venezuela.

- appointed Msgr. Michael W. Banach as titular archbishop of Memfi, at the same time assigning him the office of apostolic nuncio. The archbishop-elect was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA and was ordained a priest in 1988. He previously served as Holy See permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (ONUDI), and to the Office of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

- appointed Msgr Brian Udaigwe as titular archbishop of Suelli, at the same time assigning him the office of apostolic nuncio. The archbishop-elect was born in Tiko, Southwest Province, Cameroon in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1992. On entering the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994, he has served as a papal legate in Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Bulgaria, Thailand, and Great Britain.

- appointed Msgr. Antoine Camilleri as under-secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States. Msgr. Camilleri was previously a nunciature counsellor of the Secretariat of State.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 21 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Ramon Alfredo Dus as archbishop of Resistencia (area 28,250, population 6000,000, Catholics 495,000, priests 62, permanent deacons 13, religious 114), Argentina. Archbishop-elect Dus, previously of the Diocese of Reconquista, Argentina, succeeds Archbishop Fabriciano Sigampa, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- appointed Fr. Marco Aurelio Gubiotti as bishop of Itabira-Favriciano (area 8,996, population 789,000, Catholics 565,000, priests 65, religious 77), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Ouro Fino, Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1989. He has served in several pastoral and academic roles in the archdiocese of Pouso Alegre, Brazil, most recently as a professor of theology, pastor of Nossa Senhora de Fatima parish, and member of the archdiocesan Presbyteral Council. He succeeds Bishop Odilon Guimaraes Moreira, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- erected the Apostolic Vicarate of Puerto Leguizamo-Solano with territory taken from the apostolic prefectures of San Vincente-Puerto Leguizamo and Leticia, Colombia.

- appointed Fr. Joaquim Humberto Pinzon Guiza, I.M.C., as the first apostolic vicar of Puerto Leguizamo-Solano (area 64,000, population 46,000, Catholics 36,000, priests 7, religious 8), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in Berbeo, Boyaca, Colombia, in 1969 and was ordained a priest in 1999. He has served in several missionary, academic, and administrative roles in Colombia, most recently as the Institute's regional superior in Colombia-Ecuador.

- appointed Fr. Ilario Antoniazzi as archbishop of Tunis (area 162,155, population 10,549,000, Catholics 21,000, priests 32, permanent deacons 1, religious 149), Tunisia. The archbishop-elect was born in Rai, Treviso, Italy and was ordained a priest in 1972. He has served in several pastoral roles in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, most recently as pastor of Rameh in Galilee, Isreal.

- appointed Fr. Gabriele Marchesi as bishop of Floresta (area 15,806, population 253,000, Catholics 252,000, priests 21, religious 22), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Incisa Valdarno, Tuscany, Italy and was ordained a priest in 1978. He has served in several pastoral and administrative roles for the Diocese of Fiesole, Brazil, most recently as pastor of Sao Pedro Apostolo and Nossa Senhora do Rosario parishes, coordinator for Pastoral Service, and episcopal vicar.

- appointed Bishop Miguel Angel D’Annibale as bishop of Rio Gallegos (area 265,614, population 306,000, Catholics 214,000, priests 47, permanent deacons 11, religious 95), Argentina. Bishop D'Annibale, previously auxiliary of that same diocese and titular of Nasai, is a member of the Commission for the Liturgy in the Argentine Episcopal Conference.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 13 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca as auditor general of the Apostolic Camera. Bishop Sciacca, titular of Fundi, is the secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 6 February 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- elevated the territorial prelature of Cameta, Brazil, to the rank of diocese. He appointed Bishop Jesus Maria Cizaurre Berdonces, O.A.R., prelate of Cameta, as first bishop of the new diocese.

- appointed Fr. Valdir Mamede as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Brasilia (area 5,814, population 2,246,000, Catholics 1,541,000, priests 320, permanent deacons 69, religious 674), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Silvianopolis, Brazil and was ordained to the priesthood in 1988. He has served as pastor in several Brazilian parishes, most recently Imaculado Coracao de Maria, and was also judicial vicar of the archdiocese.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 31 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Ignatius Menezes as apostolic administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the diocese of Allahabad (area 46,774, population 32,199,000, Catholics 13,263, priests 90, religious 370), India. Bishop Menezes, emeritus of Ajmer, India, succeeds Bishop Isidore Fernandes, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Allahabad the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- appointed Fr. Laurent Birfuore Dabire as bishop of Dori (area 34,766, population 950,000, Catholics 10,000, priests 19, religious 20), Burkina Faso. Bishop-elect Dabire was born in Dissin, Burkina Faso in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1995. Previously judicial vicar and chancellor of the Diocese of Diebougou, Burkina Faso from 2005, the bishop-elect holds a doctorate in canon law and comparative law from Rome's Pontifical Lateran University and teaches law at the Unite Universitaire of Bamako, Mali.

- appointed Fr. Jonas Dembele as bishop of Kayes (area 160,000, population 1,432,000, Catholics 8,000, priests 18, religious 18), Mali. Bishop-elect Dembele, of the clergy of San, Mali was born in Sokoura, Mali in 1963, and was ordained a priest in 1992. Along with having served as pastor to several parishes in Mali since 1992, the bishop-elect was general secretary of the Diocesan Union of the Clergy of San and the National Union of the Clergy of Mali between 2002 and 2008.

- appointed Bishop Stanislas Lalanne as bishop of Pontoise (area 1,246, population 1,160,719, Catholics 844,000, priests 175, permanent deacons 28, religious 216), France. Bishop Lalanne, previously of Coutances, France, was born in Metz, France in 1948, was ordained to the priesthood in 1975, and received episcopal ordination in 2007. On the national episcopal conference her serves on the "Etudes et projets" committee and is also a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and an advisor to the Catholic International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE).

- appointed Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandula of Xai-Xai, Mozambique as a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. Bishop Muandula is president of the Mozambique Bishops' Conference. His Holiness also appointed Dr. Marco Impagliazzo as a consultor of that same pontifical council. Dr. Impagliazzo, who teaches Contemporary History at the University for Foreigners in Perugia, Italy, is president of the Community of Sant'Egidio.

The Holy Father has appointed these cardinals, created in the consistory of 24 November 2012, as members of the following dicasteries and organs of the Roman Curia:

1) to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria;

2) to the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon and Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India;

3) to the the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia;

4) to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Cardinal James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, Rome, Italy.

5) to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon;

6) to the presidency committee of the Pontifical Council for the Family: Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria and Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, archbishop of Manila, Philippines;

7) to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia;

8) to the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples: Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon and Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, archbishop of Manila, Philippines;

9) to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal, major archbishop of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India;

10) to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon;

11) to the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), Cardinal James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, Rome, Italy.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 24 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed as members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology: Dr. Carlo Ebanista, associate professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology in the Humanities and Social Sciences faculty of the University of Molise, Italy and professor of Antiquities and Medieval Archaeology in the Arts and Philosophy department of the Federico II University in Naples, Italy; Dr. Emilio Marin, tenured professor of Roman Archaeology at the University of Split, Croatia and member of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of the Institut de France.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 January 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed:

  - Fr. Daniel Jodoin as bishop of Bathurst (area 18,770, population 113,900, Catholics 103,700, priests 47, religious 166), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in 1957 in Granby, Quebec, Canada, was a novice of the Verbites, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1992, having completed his formation at the seminary of Sherbrooke, Canada. He holds a licentiate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Since his ordination he has served in several pastoral and administrative roles, most recently as pastor of Bon-Pasteur parish in Sherbrooke, director of the Office for the Clergy, and coordinator of the Sherbrooke Seminary.

  - Msgr. Gerardo Antonazzo as bishop of Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo (area 1,426, population 155,900, Catholics 152,900, priests 103, religious 187, permanent deacons 16), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Supersano, Puglia, Italy in 1956 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981, having completed his formation at the Major Seminary of Rome, Italy. He holds a licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He has served in several pastoral, administrative, and academic roles, most recently as rector of the Basilica-Sanctuary Santa Maria de finibus terrae in Leuca, Italy and diocesan administrator of Ugento-Santa Maria di Leuca. He was named a chaplain of His Holiness in 2007.

  - Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano as director of Vatican Television and secretary of the Administrative Council of that same agency. Msgr. Vigano teaches in the “Redemptor hominis” Pastoral Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, Italy.

  - Mr. Angelo Scelzo as vice director of the Holy See Press Office for the accreditation of journalists. Mr. Scelzo was previously undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communication.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 18 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Heiner Koch as bishop of the diocese of Dresden-Meissen (area 17,000, population 4,271,000, Catholics 139,890, priests 241, permanent deacons 11, religious 208), Germany. Bishop Koch, titular of Ros Cré, was born in 1954 in Dusseldorf, Germany, was ordained to the priesthood in 1980, and received episcopal ordination in 2006. Bishop Koch was previously auxiliary of Köln (Cologne), Germany.

- appointed Fr. André Gueye as bishop of the diocese of Thies (area 9,055, population 2,436,000, Catholics 52,641, priests 72, religious 146), Senegal. The bishop-elect was born in 1967 in Thies and was ordained to the priesthood in 1992. Fr. Gueye previously taught philosophy at the St. Jean Marie Vianney Major Seminary of Brin in the diocese of Ziguinchor, Senegal.

- appointed Msgr. Eamon Martin as coadjutor archbishop of the metropolitan archdiocese of Armagh (area 2,550, population 333,758, Catholics 227,120, priests 187, religious 391), Ireland. The bishop-elect, previously diocesan administrator of the diocese of Derry since 2010, was born in 1961 in Derry, Ireland, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1987. Msgr. Martin was appointed chaplain to His Holiness in 2011.

- elevated the apostolic exarchate for Ukrainian faithful of the Byzantine rite resident in Great Britain, to the rank of eparchy with the title "Holy Family of London". He appointed Bishop Hlib Borys Sviatoslav Lonchyna, M.S.U., as first bishop of the new eparchy. Bishop Lonchyna, previously apostolic exarch of Great Britain (Ukrainian) and titular of Bareta, was born in 1954 in Steubenville, Ohio, USA, was ordained to the priesthood in 1977, and received episcopal ordination in 2002.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 17 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo as apostolic nuncio to Kenya as well as permanent observer to the United Nations Environment and Human Settlements Programs (UNEP and UN-Habitat). Archbishop Balvo, titular of Castello, was previously apostolic nuncio to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Vanuatu, and apostolic delegate to the Pacific Ocean region.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 16 January 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino as apostolic nuncio to Malaysia and to East Timor and as apostolic delegate to Brunei. Archbishop Marino, titular of Natchitoches, was previously apostolic nuncio to Bangladesh.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 10 January 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Oscar Cantu as bishop of the diocese of Las Cruces (area 115,166, population 532,000, Catholics 140,200, priests 81, permanent deacons 38, religious 82), USA. Bishop Cantu, previously titular of Dardano and auxiliary of San Antonio, was ordained to the priesthood in 1994 and received episcopal ordination in 2008. In the national bishops' conference he currently serves on the committees on Catholic Education, International Justice and Peace, and Protection of Children and Young People, as well as the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs. He succeeds Bishop Ricardo Ramirez C.S.B., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Marwan Tabet, M.L., as bishop of the eparchy of Saint-Maron de Montreal of the Maronites (Catholics 85,000, priests 20, religious 15), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in Bhamdoun, Lebanon in 1961, entered the Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries in 1980, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1986. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Khoury, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same eparchy the Holy Father accepted in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

- Appointed Fr. Brendan Leahy as bishop of the diocese of Limerick (area 2,100, population 178,800, Catholics 171,500, priests 167, religious 411), Ireland. The bishop-elect was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1986. Since 2006 he has taught Systematic Theology at St Patrick’s College Maynooth and served as a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. He is also the chairman of the archdiocese of Dublin's Diocesan Ecumenical Committee and the secretary of the Irish Bishops' Advisory Committee on Ecumenism.

FROM THE ORIENTAL CHURCHES

Vatican City, 10 January 2013 (VIS) - The Synod of Bishops of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiepiscopal Church, meeting at Mount St. Thomas near Kerala, India, with the prior assent of the Holy Father has canonically elected Fr. George Madathikandathil as bishop of Kothamangalam of the Syro-Malabars (area 1,840, population 787,100, Catholics 230,760, priests 282, religious 2,494), India. The bishop-elect was born in Purapuzha, India in 1956 and ordained to the priesthood in 1980. He taught Canon Law at the St. Thomas Pontifical Seminary of Vadavathor, where he also served as vice-rector and then rector. He is currently pastor of St. Mary's Church in Arakuzha. He succeeds Bishop George Punnakottil, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same eparchy the synod accepted, in accordance with canon 210 para. 1 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 7 January 2013 (VIS) - On Saturday, 5 January, the Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Jean-Paul Gobel, apostolic nuncio to Iran, as apostolic nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt and apostolic delegate to the League of Arab States.

- Archbishop-elect Nicolas Henry Marie Denis Thevenin as apostolic nuncio to Guatemala.

- Antonio Chiminello, vice-director of the State Accounting Administration, as director of the same department for a five-year period.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City,  (VIS) -  The Holy Father appointed:

- Msgr. David P. Talley of the clergy of Atlanta, U.S.A, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese (area 55,521, population 6,998,399, Catholics 857,000, priests 228, permanent deacons 242, religious 125), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Columbus, U.S.A. in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1989. He has a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral roles. He was named prelate of honour by his Holiness in 2000.

- Appointed Msgr. Stephen Jensen, vicar general of Vancouver, Canada, as bishop of Prince George (area 345,600, population 249,000, Catholics 54,600, priests 18, religious 23), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in North Vancouver, Canada in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1980. He was named prelate of honour in 1996 and since 2009 has been vicar general, dean of the Presbyteral Council and diocesan consultor for the archdiocese. He succeeds Bishop Gerald Wiesner, O.M.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

CARDINAL POUPARD, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO LYONS

Vatican City,  (VIS) - In a letter made public yesterday the Holy Father nominated Cardinal Paul Poupard, emeritus president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, as his special envoy at the concluding celebrations of the Jubilee Year dedicated to the Venerable Servant of God Pauline Jaricot, the 150th anniversary of her death and the 50th anniversary of the decree of her heroic virtues, to be held in Lyons on 9 January 2013.

The cardinal special envoy will be accompanied by a mission composed of the following members: Msgr. Francois Duthel, postulator of the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Pauline Jaricot, and Fr. Daniel Carnot, ex superior general of the Society of African Missions.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 24 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Thomas Vu Dinh Hieu, auxiliary of Xuan Loc, Viet Nam, as coadjutor bishop of Bui Chu (area 1,350, population 1,859,000, Catholics 394,453, priests 163, religious 799), Viet Nam.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City,  22 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father today appointed:

- Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Cardinal James Michael Harvey; Archbishop Felix del Blanco Prieto, almoner emeritus of His Holiness; Archbishop Fabio Bernardo D'Onorio O.S.B. of Gaeta; Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia; and Bishop Paolino Schiavon, auxiliary of Rome, as members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

- Bishop Alfonso Cortes Contreras of Cuernavaca, Mexico, as archbishop of Leon (area 8,110, population 2,866,000, Catholics 2,543,000, priests 355, permanent deacons 12, religious 882), Mexico. He succeeds Archbishop Jose Guadalupe Martin Rabago, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Fr. Estanislau Marques Chindekasse S.V.D. as bishop of the diocese of Dundo (area 103,130, population 827,000, Catholics 269,000, priests 10, religious 23), Angola. The bishop-elect was born in Huambo, Angola in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1987. He has served as a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and as a professor at the major seminary of Luanda. He obtained his doctorate in philosophy from the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome, and is currently General Counsellor of the Society of the Divine Word.

- Fr. Robert W. Oliver, assistant for canonical matters of the archdiocese of Boston, U.S.A., as promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City,  (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Devprasad John Ganawa S.V.D. of Jhabua, India, as bishop of Udaipur (area 47,000, population 8,224,000, Catholics 24,265, priests 71, religious 217), India. He succeeds Bishop Joseph Pathalil, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City,  (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Peter Loy Chong of the clergy of Suva as archbishop of Suva (area 18,333, population 1,297,683, Catholics 101,050, priests 81, religious 162), Fiji. The archbishop-elect was born in Natovi, Fiji in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1992. He has fulfilled  pastoral roles in the parishes of Lautoka, Vatukoula and Soleva, and received his doctorate in theology from the Jesuit School of Theology of the Santa Clara University in California, United States of America. He succeeds Archbishop Petero Mataca, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Chaldean Church presented by His Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq, and convoked the Synod of Bishops of the same Church in Rome on 28 January 2013 to elect a successor. The Synod will be presided by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches. The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Jacques Ishaq as administrator of the Chaldean Church pending the election of the patriarch.