OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 18, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of Strasbourg, France, presented by Auxiliary Bishop Leon Hegele, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Christian Kratz, pastor of Saint Symphronien, as auxiliary bishop of Strasbourg (area 8,280, population, 1,713,416, Catholics 1,368,000, priests 1,009, permanent deacons 45, religious 2,450), France. The bishop-elect was born in Strasbourg in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1978.

- Appointed Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham, Wales, as apostolic administrator "sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the archdiocese of Cardiff (area 3,064, population 1,596,100, Catholics 83,023, priests 126, permanent deacons 1, religious 207), Wales.

On Saturday, December 16, it was made public that he:

- Appointed Fr. Luis Felipe Gallardo Martin del Campo S.D.B., inspector of the province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico, as bishop prelate of Mixes (area 10,000, population 196,200, Catholics 188,400, priests 26, permanent deacons 19, religious 59), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Irapuato, Mexico, in 1941 and ordained a priest in 1967. He succeeds Bishop Braulio Sanchez Fuentes S.D.B., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same territorial prelature the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Gustavo Arturo Help, pastor in the diocese of Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, as bishop of Venado Tuerto (area 14,000, population 216,000, Catholics 207,000, priests 44, religious 52), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Banfield, Argentina, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1972. He succeeds Bishop Paulino Reale whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

RE; NEA; NA; NER;...;...;...;VIS;20001218;Word: 250;