OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 25, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Dominic Jala S.D.B., provincial of the Salesians in Guwahati, India, as metropolitan archbishop of Shillong (area 14,262, population 1,298,051, Catholics 313,085, priests 145, religious 680), India. The archbishop-elect was born in Mawlai, India, in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1977.

- Fr. Gerald Mathias, pastor of the cathedral at Lucknow, India, as bishop of Simla and Chandigarh (area 83,566, population 18,000,000, Catholics 10,600, priests 63, religious 238), India. The bishop-elect was born in Kallianpur, India, in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1979.

- Fr. Vilhelms Lapelis O.P., vicar general of Liepaja (area 13,210, population 314,500, Catholics 33,000, priests 12, religious 5), Latvia, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in 1961 at Daugavpils, Latvia, and ordained a priest in 1986.

NER; NEC;...;...;JALA; MATHIAS; LAPELIS;VIS;20000125;Word: 130;