OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Ricardo Antonio Tobon Restrepo, local secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature in Colombia, as bishop of Sonson - Rionegro (area 7,300, population 735,000, Catholics 698,000, priests 226, religious 718), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in 1951 in Ituango, Colombia and was ordained a priest in 1975.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro, Colombia presented by Bishop Jorge Garcia Isaza, C.M., upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Msgr. Cristian Contreras Villaroel, vicar general of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, Chile as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese (area 9,132, population 5,219,199, Catholics 3,862,207, priests 799, permanent deacons 12, religious 4,109). The bishop-elect was born in 1959 in Santiago de Chile and was ordained a priest in 1984.

- Appointed Msgr. Dominic Mai Luong, pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Parish in New Orleans, U.S.A., as auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Orange in California (area 2,025, population 2,846,289, Catholics 1,110,508, priests 273, permanent deacons 59, religious 484), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Minh Cuong, Vietnam in 1940 and was ordained a priest in 1966.

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