OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 30, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Erected the diocese of Fenoarivo Atsinanana (area 23,500, population 740,460, Catholics 100,000, priests 26), Madagascar, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Antsiranana, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Fr. Desire Tsarahazana, of the clergy of Antsiranana, doctorate student at the Catholic University of Lyon, France, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Amboagibe-Sambava, Madagascar, in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1986.

- Appointed Fr. Jose Alfredo Caires De Nobrega S.C.J., superior of Dehonian novices at Antsirabe, as bishop of Mananjary (area 14,270, population 652,600, Catholics 96,200, priests 30, religious 82, Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Canico-Santa Cruz, Madeira, Portugal, in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Fr. Jozef Wrobel S.C.J., professor of moral theology at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, as bishop of Helsinki (area 338,145, population 5,146,980, Catholics 7,052, priests 20, permanent deacons 2, religious 49), Finland. The bishop-elect was born in Bestwina, Poland, in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1980.

- Appointed Fr. Herve Renaudin, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Paris, pastor of "St. Philippe du Roule," as bishop of Pontoise (area 1,248, population 1,115,000, Catholics 829,000, priests 178, permanent deacons 13, religious 446), France. The bishop-elect was born in Paris in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1971.

- Appointed Bishop Manuel Batakian, vicar general of Beirut of the Armenians, as apostolic exarch for Armenian Catholics resident in the U.S.A. and Canada. He succeeds Bishop Hovhannes Tertsakian whose resignation was accepted by the Pope.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Kwangju, Korea, presented by Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Archbishop Andreas Choi Chang-mou, coadjutor of the same diocese.

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