OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 14 MAR 2011 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Joseph Nguyen Tan Tuoc, director of formation for candidates to the priesthood in the diocese of Phu Cuong, Vietnam, as coadjutor of the same diocese (area 9,543, population 2,580,000, Catholics 125,274, priests 104, religious 405). The bishop-elect was born in Chanh Hiep, Vietnam in 1958 and ordained a priest in 1991.

  On Saturday 12 March it was made public that the Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Thumma Bala of Warangal, India, as archbishop of Hyderabad (area 25,319, population 12,674,000, Catholics 108,388, priests 283, religious 1,080), India. The archbishop-elect was born in Narimetta, India in 1944, he was ordained a priest in 1970 and consecrated a bishop in 1987.

 - Erected the new diocese of Kondoa (area 13,210, population 541,345, Catholics 46,067, priests 17, religious 87) Tanzania, with territory taken from the diocese of Dodoma, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Dar-es-Salaam. He appointed Fr. Bernardine Mfumbusa, vice chancellor of academic studies at the University of St. Augustine of Mwanza, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Arusha, Tanzania in 1962 and ordained a priest in 1992.

 - Appointed John Chrisostom Ndimbo, executive secretary of the department of education at the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, as bishop of Mbinga (area 11,400, population 532,019, Catholics 418,000, priests 69, religious 270), Tanzania. The bishop-elect was born in Kipololo, Tanzania in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1989. He succeeds Bishop Emmanuel A. Mapunda, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Thomas D'Souza of Bagdogra, India, as coadjutor archbishop of Calcutta (area 29,857, population 32,674,000, Catholics 165,381, priests 237, religious 1,258), India. The archbishop-elect was born in Adyapady, India in 1950, he was ordained a priest in 1977 and consecrated a bishop in 1998.

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Vigevano, Italy presented by Bishop Claudio Baggini, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop-Bishop Vincenzo Di Mauro.
NEC:NER:ECE:RE/                            VIS 20110314 (360)