VATICAN CITY, 18 JUN 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Bishop Gerard Johannes Nicolaus de Korte, auxiliary of Utrecht, Netherlands, as bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden (area 9,205, population 1,704,000, Catholics 120,300, priests 51, permanent deacons 3, religious 47), Netherlands.
- Re-established the diocese of Srijem, Serbia, previously united "in persona Episcopi" to the diocese of Djakovo, Croatia. He appointed Bishop Djuro Gasparovic, auxiliary of Djakovo with special responsibility for Srijem, as bishop of Srijem. He also decreed that the ordinary of Srijem become a member of the International Episcopal Conference of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
- Erected the ecclesiastical province of Djakovo-Osijek, elevating the diocese of Djakovo-Osijek to the status of metropolitan Church (its previous name of Djakovo-Bosna being changed to that of Djakovo-Osijek) and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of Pozega, Croatia, and Srijem, Serbia, which until now have been part of the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb-Croatia-Slavonia. He appointed Bishop Marin Srakic of Djakovo and Srijem, as the first archbishop of the new archdiocese. The archbishop-elect was born in Ivanonci, Croatia in 1937, he was ordained a priest in 1960 and consecrated a bishop in 1990.
- Changed the name of the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb-Croatia-Slavonia to the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb, with Zagreb as its metropolitan see and having the suffragans of Varazdin and Krizevci.
NER:ECE/.../DE KORTE:GASPAROVIC:SRAKIC VIS 20080618 (230)
- Appointed Bishop Gerard Johannes Nicolaus de Korte, auxiliary of Utrecht, Netherlands, as bishop of Groningen-Leeuwarden (area 9,205, population 1,704,000, Catholics 120,300, priests 51, permanent deacons 3, religious 47), Netherlands.
- Re-established the diocese of Srijem, Serbia, previously united "in persona Episcopi" to the diocese of Djakovo, Croatia. He appointed Bishop Djuro Gasparovic, auxiliary of Djakovo with special responsibility for Srijem, as bishop of Srijem. He also decreed that the ordinary of Srijem become a member of the International Episcopal Conference of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
- Erected the ecclesiastical province of Djakovo-Osijek, elevating the diocese of Djakovo-Osijek to the status of metropolitan Church (its previous name of Djakovo-Bosna being changed to that of Djakovo-Osijek) and assigning it as suffragans the dioceses of Pozega, Croatia, and Srijem, Serbia, which until now have been part of the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb-Croatia-Slavonia. He appointed Bishop Marin Srakic of Djakovo and Srijem, as the first archbishop of the new archdiocese. The archbishop-elect was born in Ivanonci, Croatia in 1937, he was ordained a priest in 1960 and consecrated a bishop in 1990.
- Changed the name of the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb-Croatia-Slavonia to the ecclesiastical province of Zagreb, with Zagreb as its metropolitan see and having the suffragans of Varazdin and Krizevci.
NER:ECE/.../DE KORTE:GASPAROVIC:SRAKIC VIS 20080618 (230)