OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, FEB 28, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, U.S.A., presented by Archbishop Joseph Anthony Fiorenza, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Daniel N. DiNardo.

 - Gave his assent to the canonical election carried out on February 9 by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church meeting in Ain Traz, Lebanon, from February 6 to 11, 2006, of Archimandrite Georges Bakar, bursar of the Patriarchate of Alexandria, as patriarchal vicar of Jerusalem with the title of archbishop of Pelusio of the Greek-Melkite Catholics. The archbishop-elect was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1973.

  His Beatitude Gregoire III Laham, Greek-Melkite Catholic patriarch, with the consent of the synod of the patriarchal Church meeting in Ain Traz, Lebanon, from February 6 to 11, 2006, transferred, in accordance with canon 85 para. 3 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Bishop Isidore Battikha B. A., auxiliary and "protosincellus" of Damascus of the Greek-Melkites, to the position of metropolitan archbishop of Homs, Hama and Jabrud (Catholics 27,000, priests 14, permanent deacons 1, religious 33), Syria.
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