OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 28, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Juan Jose Asenjo Pelegrina, auxiliary of Toledo, Spain as bishop of Cordoba (area 13,717, population 769,625, Catholics 767,089, priests 368, religious 1,260), Spain.

- Gave consent to the erection of the archiepiscopal Exarchate of Odessa-Krym, Ukraine, created by the Synod of the Bishops of the Catholic Ukrainian Church, with territory taken from the Exarchate of Kyiv-Vyshhorod. At the same time, he gave consent to the election of Fr. Vasyl Ivasiuk, vicar general of the Exarchate of Sokal, Ukraine, as exarch of the same archiepiscopal Exarchate (area 196,300, population 8,712,000, Catholics 70,000, priests 11), Ukraine. The bishop-elect was born in Dora, Ukraine in 1960, and was ordained a priest in 1989.

On Saturday July 26, it was made public that the Holy Father appointed:

- Cardinal Salvatore De Giorgi, archbishop of Palermo, Italy, as his special envoy to the closing celebration of the Marian year in Siracusa, Italy which will take place on September 1 at the Shrine of the Virgin of Tears.

- Bishop Paulin Pomodimo of Bossangoa, Central African Republic as metropolitan archbishop of Bangui (area 35,066, population 871,970, Catholics 214,858, priests 70, religious 171), Central African Republic. He succeeds Archbishop Joachim N'Dayen whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese he accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Bishop Lazaro Perez Jimenez of Autlan, Mexico, as bishop of Celaya (area 8,768, population 1,224,454, Catholics 1,130,882, priests 210, permanent deacons 1, religious 666), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Jesus Humberto Velazquez Garay whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese he accepted in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed the following people as consultors of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples: Archbishops Peter Turang of Kupang, Indonesia, Angelo Massafra of Shkodre, Albania, John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda, Archbishop-Bishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa, Andreas Choi Chang-mou of Kwangju, Korea, Theodore-Adrien Sarr of Dakar, Senegal, Tomasz Peta of Mary Most Holy in Astana, Kazakistan, Paulino do Livramento Evora of Santiago de Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde; Bishops Bruno Bertagna, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Jose de Jesus Quintero Diaz, apostolic vicar of Leticia, Colombia, John Tong Hon, auxiliar of Hong Kong; Msgrs. Juan Esquerda Bifet of the diocese of Lleida, Spain, canon of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Mario Marchesi, vicar general of the diocese of Cremona, Italy; Fr. Saturnino Dias of the archdiocese of Goa and Damao, India, executive secretary of the Commission of the Federation of the Episcopal Conferences of Asia, Fr. Fidel Gonzalez Fernandez, M.C.C.I., rector of the Pontifical Urban College of Propaganda Fide, Rome, Fr. Jan Gorski of the archdiocese of Katowice, Polond, Fr. Dimitrios Salachas, professor of Canon Law of the Pontfical Urban University, Rome, and Sister Elisabetta Adamiak, S.S.P.C., superior general of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, Rome.

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