OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JAN 19, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Hernan Giraldo Jaramillo of Malaga-Soata, as bishop of Buga (area 3,997, population 558,069, Catholics 474,358, priests 106, permanent deacons 6, religious 175), Colombia. He succeeds Bishop Rodrigo Arango Velasquez, P.S.S., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Ramon Dario Molina Jaramillo, O.F.M., of Monteria, as bishop of Neiva (area 10,523, population 481,000, Catholics 468,000, priests 59, religious 70), Colombia. He succeeds Bishop Hernando Rojas Ramirez, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Fabio Suescun Mutis of Pereira, as military ordinary of Colombia. He succeeds Bishop Alvaro Raul Jarro Tobos, whose resignation from the same office the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Fr. Mathew Arackal, director of the 'Peermade Development Society,' as bishop of Kanjirapally of the Syro-Malabars, (area 1,980, population 1,857,661, Catholics 162,675, priests 218, religious 1,503), India. The bishop-elect was born in Erumely, India in 1944, and ordained a priest in 1971. He succeeds Bishop Mathew Vattackuzhy, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same eparchy the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with Canon 210, para. 1, of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

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