OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 16 JUL 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Appointed Bishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, Italy, as archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve (area 1,900, population 232,832, Catholics 229,500, priests 208, permanent deacons 10, religious 510), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Popolano di Marradi, Italy in 1942, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1994. He succeeds Archbishop Giuseppe Chiaretti, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Archbishop Riccardo Fontana of Spoleto-Norcia as archbishop-bishop of the diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro (area 3,425, population 305,000, Catholics 290,000, priests 331, permanent deacons 22, religious 577), Italy.

- Appointed Bishop Renato Boccardo, secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State, as archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia (area 1,836, population 104,124, Catholics 101,707, priests 127, permanent deacons 7, religious 373), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in S. Ambrogio di Torino, Italy in 1952, he was ordained a priest in 1977 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

- Appointed Bishop Gonzalo Restrepo Restrepo of Girardota, Colombia, as coadjutor archbishop of Manizales (area 3,848, population 791,600, Catholics 771,600, priests 219, permanent deacons 43, religious 585), Colombia. The archbishop-elect was born in Urrao, Colombia in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1974 and consecrated a bishop in 2004.

- Appointed Archbishop Luigi Gatti, apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, as apostolic nuncio to Greece.

- Appointed Msgr. Gabriele Giordano Caccia, assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Milan, Italy in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1983.

- Appointed Msgr. Franco Coppola, nunciature counsellor at the section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State, as apostolic nuncio to Burundi, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop. The archbishop-elect was born in Maglie, Italy in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1981.

- Appointed Msgr. Peter Brian Wells, nunciature counsellor at the section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, as assessor for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

- Appointed Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio and delegate for pontifical deputations, as secretary general of the Governorate of Vatican City State.

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