OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 30 JUN 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Macao, China presented by Bishop Domingos Laam Ka Tseung upon having reached the age limit. Coadjutor Bishop Jos‚ Lai Hung-Seng succeeds him.

- Appointed Fr. Datus Hilarion Lega, director of Caritas in Indonesia, as bishop of Manokwari-Sorong (area 111,835, population 556,583, Catholics 54,567, priests 25, religious 81), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in 1956 in Kupang, Indonesia and was ordained a priest in 1984. He suceeds Bishop Francis Xavier Sudartana Hadisumarta, O. Carm, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

It was made public on Saturday June 28 that the Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Rolando J. Tria Tirona, O.C.D., of Malolos, Philippines, as bishop of the Prelature of the Infant (area 7,189, population 430,734, Catholics 387,660, priests 37, permanent deacons 1, religious 40), Philippines. He succeeds Bishop Julio X. Labayen, O.C.D., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same prelature the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Erected the diocese of Cubao, the Philippines, with territory taken from the archidiocese of Manila, the Philippines, making it a suffragen of the same metropolitan Church.

- Appointed Bishop Honesto F. Ongtioco of Balanga, the Philippines, as bishop of Cubao (area 76, population 1,238,760, Catholics 1,090,108, priests 15, religious 1,587), Philippines.

- Erected the diocese of Kalookan, the Philippines, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Manila, making it a suffragen of the same metropolitan Church.

- Appointed Bishop Deogracias S.Iniguez of Iba, the Philippines, as bishop of de Kalookan (area 55, population 1,221,412, Catholicss 1,099,270, priests 26, religious 47), the Philippines.

- Erected the diocese of Pasig, the Philippines, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Manila, making it a suffragen of the same metropolitan Church.

- Appointed Bishop Francisco C. San Diego of San Pablo, the Philippines, as bishop of Pasig (area 67, population 1,156,000, Catholics 1,040,400, priests 36, religious 104), the Philippines.

- Appointed Fr. Heriberto Andres Bodeant Fernandez, pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Paysandu, Uruguay, as auxiliary bishop of Salto (area 50,248, population 320,000, Catholics 290,000, priests 37, religious 107), Uruguay. The bishop-elect was born in 1955 in Young, Uruguay and was ordained a priest in 1986.

- Appointed as members of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Archbishops Lucian Muresan of Fagaras and Alba Iulia, Romania and Cyril Baselios Malancharuvil of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankars, India.

- Appointed Archbishop Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia as consultor of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

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