OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 2, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Anthony Swamy Thomasappa of the clergy of Bangalore, India, professor of St. Peter's Pontifical Seminary, as bishop of Chikmagalur (area 14,015, population 2,984,422, Catholics 37,397, priests 72, religious 266), India. The bishop-elect was born in Mariannapalaya, India in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1984. He succeeds Bishop John Baptist Sequeira, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Paul Cremona O.P., pastor of the church of Jesus of Nazareth in Malta, as archbishop of Malta (area 246, population 395,000, Catholics 375,000, priests 689, religious 1,454). The archbishop-elect was born in Valletta, Malta in 1946 and ordained a priest in 1969. He succeeds Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Diego Coletti of Livorno, Italy, as bishop of Como (area 4,244, population 530,000, Catholics 520,000, priests 579, permanent deacons 9, religious 1,083), Italy. He succeeds Bishop Alessandro Maggiolini, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Salvatore Di Cristina, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Palermo, Italy, as archbishop of Monreale (area 1,509, population 232,250, Catholics 215,000, priests 136, permanent deacons 2, religious 325), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Palermo in 1937, he was ordained a priest in 1960 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.
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