OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop George Pell of Melbourne, Australia, as metropolitan archbishop of Sydney (area 1,264, population 1,824,810, Catholics 589,244, priests 498, permanent deacons 1, religious 1,655), Australia. He succeeds Cardinal Edward Bede Clancy, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted in conformity with Canon 401, para. 1, of the Code of Canon Law.

On Saturday, March 24, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation of Bishop Joao Alves of Coimbra, Portugal, in conformity with canon 401, para. 1, of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Albino Mamede Cleto.

- Appointed Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as special envoy to the centenary celebrations of the Catholic Church in Malawi, which will take place in Lilongwe, Malawi, on July 28, 2001.

- Appointed Cardinal Marco Ce, patriarch of Venice, Italy, as special envoy to the 16th centenary celebrations of the death of St. Vigilius, bishop, patron of the archdiocese of Trento, Italy, which will take place in Trento, next June 26th.

- Appointed Frs. Percival Joseph Fernandez, professor at St. Pius X College, Goregaon, India, and Agnelo Rufino Gracias, pastor of St. Michael's Shrine, Mahim, India, as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Bombay (area 9,713, population 14,636,931, Catholics 544,177, priests 569, religious 1,769). Bishop-elect Fernandez was born in Mangalore, India, in 1935, and ordained to the priesthood in 1960. Bishop-elect Gracias was born in Mombasa, Kenya, in 1939, and ordained to the priesthood in 1962.

- Appointed Msgr. Leo Boccardi, nunciature counsellor at the Secretariat of State, as Holy See permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Preparatory Committee of the Treaty of Global Interdiction for Nuclear Experiments (CTBTO), and as Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations Organization for Industrial Development (O.N.U.D.I.), and the Office of the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

- Appointed Eduardo Lacetera as bureau chief in the ordinary section of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See.

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