OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 12, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Takeo Okada of Urawa as archbishop metropolitan of Tokyo (area 7,316, population 17,775,082, Catholics 84,437, priests 427, religious 1,098), Japan. He succeeds Cardinal Peter Seiichi Shirayanagi, whose resignation to the pastoral care of the archdiocese was accepted by the Holy Father in conformity with Canon 401, para 2, of the C.I.C.

- Appointed Fr. Marcelin Taiji Tani as bishop of Urawa (area 22,662, population 13,928,489, Catholics 78,994, priests 59, religious 175), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1953 in Kansai, Japan, was ordained a priest in 1986 and up to now has been pastor in Tatebayashi, Japan.

- Appointed Fr. Francis Xavier Osamu Mizobe, S.D.B., as bishop of Sandai (area 45,951, population 7,396,081, Catholics 11,172, priests 62, religious 348), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1935 in Shingishu, Japan, took his religious vows in 1959, was ordained a priest in 1964 and since 1997 has been director of the Nagasaki College in Japan.

- Appointed Fr. Dominic Ryoji as bishop of Oita (area 14,071, population 2,404,645, Catholics, 5,892, priests 61, religious 257), Japan. The bishop-elect was born in 1955 in Goto, Japan, was ordained a priest in 1982 and since then has been a professor in the regional seminary of St. Sulpice in Fukuoka. He succeeds Bishop Peter Takaaki Hirayama, whose resignation to the pastoral care of the diocese was accepted by the Holy Father, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation to the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Tokyo, Japan, presented by Bishop Paul Kazuhiro Mori, in conformity with Canons 411 and 401, para 2, of the C.I.C.

- Accepted the resignation to the pastoral care of the archdiocese of La Plata, Argentina, presented by Archbishop Carlos Galan, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer.

- Appointed Fr. Anthony J. Burgess as coadjutor bishop of Wewak (area 46,919, population 145,264, Catholics 89,280, priests 59, religious 127), Papua New Guinea. The bishop-elect was born in 1938 in Singleton, Australia, was ordained a priest in 1967 and since 1987 has been vicar general of the diocese of Aitape, Papua New Guinea.

- Appointed Archbishop Jean Assaad Haddad of Tyre of the Greek-Melkites, Lebanon, as apostolic administrator "sede plena" of the patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites in Lebanon.

On Sunday, June 11, it was made public that the Holy Father appointed Fr. Pius Mlungisi Dlungwane as auxiliary bishop of Mariannhill (area 12,612, population 1,390,000, Catholics 284,500, priests 57, religious 464, permanent deacons 1), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in 1947 in Impendle, South Africa, was ordained a priest in 1976 and up to now was rector of the St. John Vianney major seminary in Pretoria.

On Saturday, June 10, the following appointments by the Pope were made public:

- Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, as special envoy to the commemoration of the millennium of the archdiocese of Wroclaw, Poland, to take place this month.

- Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as special envoy to the 20th International Mariological-Marian Congress, which will take place in Rome from September 15 to 24.

- Msgr. George Kocherry, nunciature counsellor in Australia, as apostolic nuncio in Ghana and Togo, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in 1945 in Changanacherry, India and was ordained a priest in 1974.

- Fathers Mario Pangallo, Sabatino Majorano, C.SS.R., and Maurizio Pietro Faggioni, O.F.M., as consultors of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

- Msgr. Francesco Peracchi as consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy.

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