OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 27, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Ismael Rueda Sierra, auxiliary of Cartagena, Colombia, as bishop of Socorro y San Gil (area 11,711, population 439,479, Catholics 429,279, priests 142, religious 232), Colombia.

- Msgr. Patrick Pinder, vicar general of the archdiocese of Nassau, Bahamas, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese (area 13,872, population 310,000, Catholics 47,688, priests 28, permanent deacons 14, religious 43). The bishop-elect was born in Nassau in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1980.

- Fr. Edgar M. da Cunha, S.D.V., member of the Divine Vocations Society and pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Newark, U.S.A., as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese (area 1,328, population 2,809,267, Catholics 1,319,558, priests 339, permanent deacons 248, religious 1,633). The bishop-elect was born in Riachao do Jacuipe Bahia, Brazil in 1957 and was ordained a priest in 1975.

NEA; NER;...;...;... ;VIS;20030627;Word: 140;