OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 29 November 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Jose Luis Gerardo Ponce de Leon, I.M.C., formerly apostolic vicar of Ingwavuma, South Africa, as bishop of Manzini (area 17,364, population 1,118,000, Catholics 58,000, priests 30, religious 76), Swaziland, and apostolic administrator “Sede vacante et ad nutum, Sanctae Sedis” of the apostolic vicariate of Ingwavuma, South Africa.

- appointed Rev. Aleh Butkevich as bishop of Vitebsk (area 40,100, population 1,446,000, Catholics 170,000, priests 102, religious 114), Belarus. The bishop-elect was born in Braslau, Belarus in 1972 and was ordained a priest in 2000. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy priest in the parishes of Novapolack and Miory, and parish priest in Bieshankovichy and Ula. He is currently priest in the parish of St. Anthony of Padua in Vitebsk and vicar forane for the northern zone.

- appointed Rev. Yury Kasabutski as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev (area 69,800, population 4,756,000, Catholics 610,000, priests 124, religious 146), Belarus. The bishop-elect was born in Maladechna, Belarus in 1970 and was ordained a priest in 1996. He holds a licentiate in theology from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including prefect of the interdiocesan seminary in Pinsk, head of the secretariat of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus, chancellor of the archdiocesan curia of Minsk-Mohilev, and administrator of the parish of the Most Holy Trinity and St. Rocco in Zalataja Horka, Minsk.

- appointed Msgr. Iosif Staneuski as auxiliary bishop of Grodno (area 25,000, population 1,061,288, Catholics 587,000, priests 208, religious 200), Belarus. The bishop-elect was born in Zanievichy, Belarus in 1969 and was ordained a priest in 1995. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland, and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including deputy priest in the parish of San Vaclav, Vaukavysk, prefect and subsequently rector of the major seminary in Grodno, judge and auxiliary vicar of the interdiocesan tribunal of First Instance, and member of the episcopal council and college of consultors. He is currently co-ordinator of vocational pastoral care.