OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 13, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Antonio Montes Moreira, O.F.M., director of the secretariat general of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, as bishop of Braganca-Miranda (area 6,545, population 157,910, Catholics 155,600, priests 126, permanent deacons 4, religious 134), Portugal. He succeeds Bishop Antonio Jose Rafael, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit. The bishop-elect was born in Sao Tome do Castelo, Portugal, in 1935, and ordained to the priesthood in 1958.

- Appointed Fr. Luis Gonzaga Silva Pepeu, O.F.M. Cap., secretary of the procurator general of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Capuchins, as bishop of Afogados da Ingazeira (area 11,034, population 397,000, Catholics 385,000, priests 22, permanent deacons 4, religious 41), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop Francisco Austregesilo De Mesquita, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit. The bishop-elect was born in Caruaru, Brazil, in 1957, and ordained to the priesthood in 1982.

- Appointed Fr. Antonio Santarsiero, O.S.I., provincial superior of the Josephines of Asti in Peru, as bishop prelate of the prelature of Huari (area 23,000, population 298,524, Catholics 288,000, priests 30, religious 31), Peru. He succeeds Bishop Dante Frasnelli Tarter, O.S.I., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same prelature the Holy Father accepted, in accordance with the age limit. The bishop-elect was born in Avigliano, Italy, in 1951, and ordained to the priesthood in 1980.

- Appointed Bishop Luis Abilio Sebastiani Aguirre, S.M., of Tarma, as metropolitan archbishop of Ayacucho (area 26,777, population 491,706, Catholics 393,365, priests 39, religious 128), Peru.

- Appointed Msgr. Richard Daniel Alarcon Urrutia, vicar general of Tarma (area 13,032, population 586,257, Catholics 510,052, priests 27, religious 36), Peru, as bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Lima, Peru, in 1952, and ordained to the priesthood in 1976.

- Appointed Fr. Sergio da Rocha, of the clergy of Sao Carlos, Brazil, rector of the diocesan Theological Seminary, and Fr. Plinio Jose Luz da Silva, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Fortaleza (area 15,217, population 3,500,700, Catholics 2,200,000, priests 284, religious 2,466), Brazil, episcopal vicar for the Serra region and pastor of the parish of Nossa Senhora da Palma in Baturite, as auxiliary bishops of Fortaleza. Bishop-elect da Rocha was born in Dobrada, Brazil, in 1959, and ordained to the priesthood in 1984. Bishop-elect da Silva was born in Pacoti, Brazil, in 1955, and ordained to the priesthood in 1984.

NER; RE; NEA;...;...;...;VIS;20010613;Word: 390;