OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 27, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Vincent Marius Joseph Peiris of the clergy of Colombo (area 3,838, population 4,605,527, Catholics 547,565, priests 344, permanent deacons 1, religious 1,308), Sri Lanka, rector of the major national seminary of Ampitiya, as auxiliary of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1972.

On Saturday, November 25, it was made public that he:

- Appointed His Beatitude Ignace Moussa I Daoud, patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon, as prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches. He succeeds Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, whose resignation from the same post the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Nabih Mouawad of the Maronite archdiocese of Tripoli, Lebanon, as adjunct promoter of justice at the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.

- Appointed Msgr. Carlo Ghidelli of the clergy of the diocese of Crema, Italy, central assistant at the Sacred Heart Catholic University, as archbishop of Lanciano-Ortona (area 305, population 89,884, Catholics 89,527, priests 77, permanent deacons 2, religious 134), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Offanengo, Italy, in 1934 and ordained a priest in 1958. He succeeds Archbishop Enzio d'Antonio whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Erected the diocese of Gregorio de Laferrere (area 1,293, population 700,000, priests 47, religious 52), Argentina, with territory taken from the diocese of San Justo, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Buenos Aires. He appointed Msgr. Juan Horacio Suarez, vicar general of San Justo, as the first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Villa Nueva, Argentina, in 1938 and ordained a priest in 1967.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Tehuantepec, Mexico, presented by Bishop Arturo Lona Reyes upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Felipe Padilla Cardona, coadjutor of the same diocese.

- Erected the apostolic prefecture of Gambella (area 50,000, population 210,000, Catholics 2,000), Ethiopia, with territory taken from the apostolic prefecture of Jimma-Bonga. He appointed Fr. Angelo Moreschi S.D.B., pastor of Dilla and council inspector, as apostolic prefect of Gambella.

- Appointed Bishop Juan Ruben Martinez of Reconquista, Argentina, as bishop of Posadas (area 13,206, population 680,000, Catholics 550,000, priests 86, permanent deacons 19, religious 229), Argentina.

- Appointed Bishop Ruben Oscar Frassia of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, as bishop of Avellaneda (area 52, population 400,000, Catholics 280,000, priests 44, religious 119), Argentina.
- Erected the military ordinariate of the Republic of Lithuania, appointing Bishop Eugenijus Bartulis as military ordinary. Bishop Bartulis retains his present position as bishop of Siauliai.

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