OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 July 2013 (VIS) – The Holy Father appointed Bishop Vittorio Lanzani, delegate of the Fabric of St. Peter, as pontifical delegate for the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua.

On Saturday, 20 July, the Holy Father:

- appointed Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, as his special envoy to the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, to be held in Nis, Serbia on 20-21 September 2013.

- appointed Archbishop Ramzi Garmou of Tehran of the Chaldeans as apostolic visitor for the Chaldeans resident in Europe, previously administered “ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” by Chorbishop Philip Najim.

- appointed Fr. Viktors Stulpins as bishop of Liepaja (area 13,210, population 277,000, Catholics 27,700, priests 14, religious 14), Latvia. The bishop-elect was born in Riga, Latvia in 1971 and was ordained a priest in 1995. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, as a priest in the parishes of Aizkraukle, Irsi, Koknese, Skriveri, Vecbebri and St. Francis in Riga, and as vice rector of the major seminary of Riga. He is also a professor at the Theological Institute of Riga and a member of the Commission on Religious Art in Riga.

- appointed Bishop Angel Polivio Sanchez Loaiza as bishop of Machala (area 5,819, population 574,000, Catholics 545,000, priests 47, permanent deacons 1, religious 116), Ecuador. Bishop Sanchez Loaiaza, previously bishop of Guaranda, Ecuador, was born in Ayapamba, Ecuador, in 1946, was ordained to the priesthood in 1975, and received episcopal ordination in 2004.

- appointed Msgr. Maurizio Gervasoni as bishop of Vigevano (area 1,509, population 192,827, Catholics 182,600, priests 109, permanent deacons 10, religious 168), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Sarnico, Italy in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1977. He received a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian Pontifical University in 1982 and has held a number of roles, including: professor of theological anthropology at the seminary of Bergamo, vice-director of the theology course at the Giovanni XXIII Seminary, professor of spirituality at the diocesan presbytery, director of the Pastoral Office for Culture, director of the Office for Social, Employment and Economic Pastoral Care, director of the Office for Associations, Movements and Groups, bishop's delegate for the Formation and Education of the People of God, diocesan president of Caritas, bishop's delegate for the Proclamation of the Word and the Liturgy; director of the Catechistic Office and director of the Liturgical Office, and professor of anthropology of religions and of history of religions at the University of Bergamo. In 2012 he was appointed provost of the parish of St. Lucia in Bergamo and episcopal vicar of the same city. He was named prelate of honour by his Holiness in 1999.