OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 27 February 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- appointed Msgr. Marco Arnolfo as metropolitan archbishop of Vercelli (area 1,658, population 183,680, Catholics 178,160, priests 101, permanent deacons 13, religious 301), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Cavallermaggiore, Italy in 1952 and was ordained a priest in 1978. He holds a degree in physics. and specialised in pastoral theology at the Pontifical Salesian University, Turin, Italy. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including vicar in the parishes of “Santa Maria della Scala di Chieri” and “Santi Pietro e Paolo a Santena” in Turin, rector of the minor seminary of Turin, and priest of the parish of “San Giovanni Battista ad Orbassano”, Turin. He is currently territorial episcopal vicar of the West District of the same city, and member of the presbyteral council. In 2010 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness. He succeeds Archbishop Enrico Masseroni, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, upon having reached the age limit, was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Msgr. Rosario Gisana as bishop of Piazza Armerina (area 2,003, population 223,200, Catholics 215,200, priests 134, permanent deacons 9, religious 183), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Modica, Italy in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a licentiate in biblical sciences from the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and a licentiate in theology and patristic sciences and a doctorate in patristics from the "Augustinianum" Patristic Institute in Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including rector of the bishop's seminary of Noto, Italy, and member of the diocesan presbyiteral council, canon of the Cathedral chapter, lecturer in biblical sciences at the “San Paolo” Theological Study of Catania and the “G. Blandini” Institute of Religious Sciences in Noto, and member of the college of consultors and the commission for the clergy. He is currently episcopal vicar for pastoral ministry, director of the diocesan catechistic office and vice rector of the Cathedral Church of San Nicolo di Noto. He is also a lecturer in biblical exegesis and patristics and vice principal of the “San Paolo” Theological Study of Catania.