OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 16, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Elevated the apostolic vicariate of Kano (area 43,170, population 8,685,995, Catholics 105,913, priests 28, religious 12), Nigeria, to the standing of diocese with the same name and territorial boundaries, and made it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Kaduna. He appointed Bishop Patrick Francis Sheehan O.S.A., apostolic vicar of the same vicariate and emeritus of Yola, Nigeria, as first bishop of the new diocese.

- Erected the eparchy of Adilabad of the Syro-Malabars in India with territory taken from the eparchy of Chanda of the Syro-Malabars, making it a suffragan "ad instar" of the metropolitan church of Hyderabad, India. He appointed Fr. Joseph Kunnath C.M.I., pastor of the mission at Saligoan, as bishop of the new eparchy. The bishop-elect was born in Kondacherry, India, in 1939 and ordained a priest in 1972.

- Appointed Msgr. Angelo Mottola, administrative delegate of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as apostolic nuncio in Iran, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.

NER; NN;...;...;SHEEHAN; KUNNATH; MOTTOLA ;VIS;19990716;Word: 180;