OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 30 December 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:

- appointed Bishop Marlo M. Peralta of Alaminos as metropolitan archbishop of Nueva Segovia (area 2,570, population 718,000, Catholics 605,000, priests 73, religious 101), Philippines. Msgr. Peralta was born in San Carlos, Philippines in 1950, was ordained a priest in 1975, and received episcopal ordination in 2006. He succeeds Archbishop Ernesto A. Salgado, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon having reached the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Rev. Timothy Yu Gyoung-Chon as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Seoul (area 606, population 10,528,774, Catholics 1,434,874, priests 32, religious 111), Korea. The bishop-elect was born in Jung-gu, Korea in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He holds a licentiate in theology from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany and has served in the following pastoral and academic roles: vicar of the parish of Mok-Dong, professor at the Catholic University of Seoul, and director of the Institute for Integral Pastoral Ministry in Seoul. He is currently priest of the parish of Myeong-dong, Seoul.

- appointed Fr. Peter Chung Soon-taek, O.C.D., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Seoul, Korea. The bishop-elect was born in Daegu, Korea in 1961, and received priestly ordination in 1992. He studied chemical engineering at the State University of Seoul, and philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of Seoul. He took his perpetual vows in 1992 and has served in the following roles within the Order of Descalced Carmelites: master of novices, master of students, provincial definitor of the Order of Descalced Carmelites of Korea, and first definitor of the Order of Descalced Carmelites of Korea. He is currently definitor general in Rome for the Far East and Oceania.

On Saturday, 28 December the Holy Father erected the new diocese of Sultanpet (area 4,446, population 4,260,435, Catholics 30,975, priests 32, religious 111) India, with territory taken from the dioceses of Coimbatore and Calicut, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Verapoly.

He appointed Rev. Peter Abir Antonisamy as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Sathipattu, India in 1951, and was ordained a priest in 1979. He holds a master's degree in biblical theology from St. Peter's Pontifical Institute, Bangalore, India, a master's degree in literature and history from the University of Titrupathy, India, a licentiate in sacred scriptures from the Biblicum in Rome, and a doctorate in sacred scriptures from the Gregorian Pontifical University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, including secretary to the archbishop of Bangalore and the chancellor of the Curia, professor of sacred scriptures at the Good Shepherd seminary, Coimbatore, parish priest of Kurumbagaram, director of St. Paul's Bible Institute, Poonamelle, deputy secretary of the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, co-ordinator of the Catholic Biblical Federation of South Asia, and director of the Tamil Nadu Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Centre. Since 2004 he is the director of the Emmaus Spirituality Centre, Sithanagur, which he founded in 2004.

On Tuesday, 24 December the Holy Father appointed Fr. Gabriel Enrique Montero Umana, O.F.M. as bishop of San Isidro de El General (area 10,346, population 380,000, Catholics 369,000, priests 60, permanent deacons 1, religious 60), Costa Rica. The bishop-elect was born in Moravia, Costa Rica in 1945 and was ordained a priest in 1973. He studied philosophy in the central major seminary of San Jose, Costa Rica, and theology in the Higher Institute of Ecclesiastical Studies in Mexico. He specialised in sacred scriptures in Mexico and obtained a master's degree in Franciscan studies in New York, U.S.A. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including: deputy priest in the parish of Golfito, San Jose, Costa Rica, master of novices and postulants in Alajuela, Costa Rica, provincial custodian in Costa Rica, head of formation of postulants in Costa Rica, director of St. Francis College, Costa Rica, master of novices in Honduras, head of formation of post-novices in Costa Rica, head of formation of postulants in Africa, general assistant of the Order for Africa, Asia and Australia in Rome, rector of the International College of Conventual Franciscans in Rome, provincial guardian in the Philippines, and rector of the Interafrican House of Formation in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 2013 he has served as a member of the community of Conventual Friars in Moravia, Costa Rica, and local collaborator with the apostolic nunciature in Costa Rica.