OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, DEC 12, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - As presidents of the fifth General Conference of the Latin American Episcopate, due to be held in Aparecida, Brazil, from May 13 to 31, 2007, Cardinals Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Chile, and president of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM); and Geraldo Majella Agnelo, archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, and president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.

 - As secretary general of the same general conference, Bishop Andres Stanovnik O.F.M. Cap., of Reconquista, Argentina, and secretary of CELAM; and as adjunct secretary, Bishop Odilo Pedro Scherer, auxiliary of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and secretary of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.

 - Bishop Dode Gjergji of Sape, Albania, as apostolic administrator of Prizren (area 11,800, population 2,100,000, Catholics 65,000, priests 53, religious 88).

 - Msgr. Lucjan Augustini, vicar general of the metropolitan archdiocese of Shkodre-Pult, Albania, as bishop of Sape (area 2,544, population 200,000, Catholics 90,000, priests 12, permanent deacons 1, religious 54), Albania. The bishop-elect was born in Ferizaj, Kosovo in 1963 and ordained a priest in 1989.
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