OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 29, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Msgr. Fidele Agbatchi of the clergy of the diocese of Dassa-Zoume, Benin, and official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as metropolitan archbishop of Parakou (area 9,259, population 227,192, Catholics 59,233, priests 33, religious 101), Benin. The archbishop-elect was born in Save, Benin, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1978.
- Appointed Bishop Marcel Honorat Leon Agboton of Kandi, Benin, as bishop of Porto-Novo (area 5,000, population 1,080,000, Catholics 326,623, priests 47, religious 79), Benin. He succeeds Bishop Vincent Mensah, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Clet Feliho of the clergy of Parakou, diocesan administrator, as bishop of Kandi (area 25,534, population 445,449, Catholics 8,665, priests 14, religious 31). The bishop-elect was born in Conakry, Guinea, in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1979.

- Erected the diocese of N'Dali (area 11,454, population 358,836, Catholics 6,344, priests 12, religious 24), Benin, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Parakou, making it a suffragan of that same metropolitan church. He appointed Fr. Martin Adjou of the clergy of Cotonou, Benin, rector of the minor seminary of Parakou, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Cotonou in 1955 and ordained a priest in 1983.

- Appointed Bishop Donato Negro of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi, Italy, as archbishop of Otranto (area 800, population 198,968, Catholics 198,468, priests 143, religious 260), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in San Cesario, Italy, in 1948, ordained a priest in 1972 and consecrated a bishop in 1994.

- Appointed Msgr. Felice di Molfetta of the clergy of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi, pastor of the parish of the Immaculate Virgin in Terlizzi and teacher of sacramental and liturgical theology, as bishop of Cerignola-Ascoli Satriano (area 1,327, population 105,230, Catholics 103,230, priests 56, permanent deacons 9, religious 102), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Terlizzi in 1940 and ordained a priest in 1966.

- Appointed Msgr. Carlos Maria Franzini, vicar general of San Isidro, Argentina, as bishop of Rafaela (area 38,050, population 290,000, Catholics 264,000, priests 42, permanent deacons 6, religious 71), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1977.

- Appointed Archbishop Pier Luigi Mazzoni of Gaeta, Italy, as a member of the Congregation for Bishops.

- Appointed Fr. Ivan Fucek S.J., adjunct theologian, as theologian of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

- Appointed Emilio Acerna, co-director of I.R.I., Italy, as a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church.

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