OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 10, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Madison, U.S.A., presented by Bishop George O. Wirz, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Richard Joseph Malone, auxiliary of Boston, U.S.A., as bishop of Portland (area 85,541, population 1,274,923, Catholics 213,680, priests 211, permanent deacons 23, religious 471), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Salem, U.S.A. in 1946 and was ordained a priest in 1972. The Holy Father accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese presented by Bishop Joseph John Gerry, O.S.B., upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Archbishop Bruno Musaro, apostolic nuncio in Madagascar, Mauritius and the Seychelles and apostolic delegate in the Comoros Islands and Reunion, as apostolic nuncio in Guatemala.

- Approved the election by the Synod of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Fr. Vasyl Semeniuk, vicar general of the Eparchy of Ternopil-Zboriv, Ukraine, as auxiliary bishop of the same eparchy (area 6,000, population 760,400, Catholics 479,052, priests 223, permanent deacons 4, religious 74). The bishop-elect was born in 1949 in Dora, Ukraine and was ordained a priest in 1974.
RE:NER:NN:NA/./. VIS 20040210 (200)