OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 8, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Erected the diocese of Valle de Chalco, Mexico, with territory taken from the diocese of Netzahualcoyotl, making it a suffragan of the Metropolitan Church of Tlalnepantla.

- Appointed Fr. Luis Artemio Flores Calzada, episcopal vicar of Texcoco, Mexico, as bishop of the diocese of Valle de Chalco (area 1,238, population 3,404,000, Catholics 3,400,000, priests 86, religious 206), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in San Antonio Tultitlan, Mexico in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1974.

- Appointed Bishop Carlos Garfias Merlos of Ciudad Altamirano, Mexico as bishop of Netzahualcoyotl (area 1,172, population 5,487,472, Catholics 5,491,872, priests 137, religious 17), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Jose Maria Hernandez Gonzalez whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Pope accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Salvador Pineiro Garcia-Calderon, military ordinary for Peru, as auxiliary bishop of Lurin (area 185, population 2,500,000, Catholics 2,244,000, priests 50, permanent deacons 4, religious 204), Peru.

ECE; NER; RE; NEA;...;...;... ;VIS;20030708;Word: 150;