OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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

- appointed Archbishop Anselmo Guido Pecorari, apostolic nuncio in Bulgaria, as apostolic nuncio in Macedonia.

- appointed Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki as metropolitan archbishop of Koln (area 6,181, population 5,417,865, Catholics 2,069,152, priests 1,033, permanent deacons 309, religious 1,835), Germany. Cardinal Woelki is currently metropolitan archbishop of Berlin.

- appointed Bishop Jorge Anibal Quintero Chacon, bishop of Margarita, Venezuela, as bishop of Barcelona (area 43,300, population 2,132,000, Catholics 1,996,000, priests 69, religious 61), Venezuela.

- appointed Fr. Ignatius D'Souza as bishop of the diocese of Bareilly (area 32,860, population 10,352,001, Catholics 6,744, priests 83, religious 331), India. The bishop elect was born in Basrikatte, India in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1991. He holds a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and a doctorate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including vice rector of the St. Paul's Minor Seminary of Lucknow and director of the diocesan pastoral centre of Lucknow, and is currently vicar general and priest of the Cathedral of Lucknow. He succeeds Bishop Anthony Fernandes, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Fr. Cajetan Francis Osta as bishop of the diocese of Muzaffarpur (area 27,120, population 30,310,000, Catholics 5,250, priests 49, religious 120), India. The bishop-elect was born in Kathara-Bokaro, India in 1961 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He studied canon law at the St. Peter's Pontifical Institute in Bangalore and missiology at the Sacred Heart of Shillong, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Muzaffarpur, including co-priest of Bettiah and rector of the minor seminary; secretary of the bishop of Bettiah and priest in the parishes of Tinkomma and Barauni. He is currently judicial vicar of Muzaffarpur, president of the Bijhan Diocesan Priests, and priest of the Cathedral of Muzaffarpur. He succeeds Bishop John Baptist Thakur, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Fr. Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, Fr. Stephen Lee Bun Sang, and Fr. Joseph Ha Chi-shing, O.F.M., as auxiliaries of the diocese of Hong Kong (area 1,104, population 7,071,600, Catholics 547,000, priests 311, permanent deacons 18, religious 815), China.

Bishop-elect Yeung Ming-cheung was born in Shanghai, China in 1946 and was ordained a priest in 1978. He holds masters degrees in social communications from the Syracus University, U.S.A., and philosophy of education from Harvard University, U.S.A., and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including parish vicar of Ha Kwai Chung district, New Territories; director of the diocesan office of social communications; director of the diocesan office for education and schools; director of Caritas Hong Kong, and vicar general of Hong Kong. He is currently a member of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”.

Bishop-elect Lee Bun Sang was born in Hong Kong, China in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a degree in architecture from the London School of Architecture and a doctorate in canon law from the University of Navarre, Spain. He has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including director of the Tak Sun school in Tsim Sha Tsui, and is currently defender of the bond at the diocesan tribunal of Hong Kong and vicar of Opus Dei for East Asia.

Bishop-elect Fr. Joseph Ha Chi-shing, O.F.M., was born in Hong Kong, China in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1990. He holds a licentiate in spiritual theology and Franciscan culture from the Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome, and has held a number of pastoral and administrative roles, including priest of the “St. Bonaventure” and “Our Lady of the Angels” parishes in Kowloon; lecturer in spiritual theology in the seminary of Hong Kong; consultor of the Commission for the Church in China; and regional superior of the Order of Friars Minor for Hong Kong. He is currently parish vicar of the Church of St. Bonaventure in Hong Kong.

- elevated the apostolic prefecture of Makokou (area 46,000, population 54,000, Catholics 26,000, priests 7, religious 3), Gabon, to the rank of apostolic vicariate, and appointed Fr. Joseph Koerber, C.S.Sp., as the first apostolic vicar of the new apostolic vicariate. Born in Sierentz, France in 1943, he gave his perpetual vows in 1970 and was ordained a priest in 1972. He specialised in pastoral theology at the Institut Catholique de Paris, France and has served in a number of pastoral roles in Gabon, including regional bursar of the Spiritan Fathers in Gabon and parish priest in Makokou. He is currently apostolic prefect of the same circumscription.