OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 21, 2004 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Maurice Gardes, episcopal vicar and archdeacon of Roannais, France, as archbishop of Auch (area 6,261, population 172,335, Catholics 152,500, priests 107, permanent deacons 7, religious 187), France. The archbishop-elect was born in 1945 in Lyon, France and was ordained a priest in 1975. He succeeds Archbishop Maurice Frechard whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese was accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Bishop Manuel da Rocha Felicio, auxiliary of Lisbon, Portugal, as coadjutor bishop of Guarda (area 6,758, population 265,000, Catholics 250,000, priests 186, religious 50), Portugal.

- Appointed Msgr. Antonio Francisco dos Santos, pro-vicar general of the diocese of Lamego, Portugal, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Braga, Portugal. The bishop-elect was born in 1948 in Tendasi, Portugal and was ordained a priest in 1972.
NER:NEA/.../...                                    VIS 20041221 (150)