OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Cardinal Vinko Puljic, archbishop of Vrhbosna Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, as his special envoy to the celebrations for the occasion of the international Ukrainian pilgimage to the Marian Shrine of Zarvanycia, Ukraine on July 22-23.

- Elevated the territorial prelature of Nuevo Casas Grandes (area 36,320, population 125,683, Catholics 100,546, priests 32, religious 36), Mexico, to the status of diocese. It keeps the same name and territorial configuration and becomes a suffragan of the metroplitain church of Chihuahua, Mexico. He appointed Bishop Hilario Chavez Joya M.N.M., prelate of Nuevo Casas Grandes, as bishop of the new diocese.

- Appointed Msgr. Orazio Soricelli, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Benevento, Italy, vicar forane, pastor of the parish "SS.ma Addolorata" and regional director of the Pontifical Missionary Works, as archbishop of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni (area 150, population 103,351, Catholics 102,700, priests 108, permanent deacons 12, religious 175), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Calvi, Italy, in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1976.

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