Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- appointed Rev. Can. Gyorgy Snell as auxiliary of the diocese of Esztergom-Budapest (area 1,543, population 2,088,000, Catholics 1,254,000, priests 443, permanent deacons 23, religious 734), Hungary. The bishop-elect was born in Kiskiralysag, Hungary in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1972. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy parish priest in Kiskunlachaz-Pereg and Budapest-Rakoskeresztur, parish priest in Budapest-Rakoskeresztur, and dean. He is currently priest of St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, director of the diocesan superintendency for Catholic schools, and canon of the metropolitan chapter.

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Mati, Philippines, presented by Bishop Patricio H. Alo, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law

On Saturday, 18 October, the Holy Father:

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan archdiocese of Malta, presented by Archbishop Paul Cremona, O.P., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law;

- appointed Bishop Norbert Turini of Cahors, France, as bishop of Perpignan-Elne (area 4,116, population 454,737, Catholics 302,600, priests 85, permanent deacons 20, religious 79), France.

- appointed new members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and renewed the mandate of members of the previous five-year term. The aforementioned Commission for the 2014-2019 is composed of the following members:

Rev. Knut Backhaus, Germany;

Fr. Pietro Bovati, S.J., Italy;

Sister Nuria Calduch Benages, M.N., Spain;

Rev. Eduardo Cordova Gonzalez, Mexico;

Professor Bruna Costacurta, Italy;

Msgr. Pierre Deberge, France;

Rev. Juan Miguel Diaz Rodelas, Spain;

Rev. Luis Henrique Eloy e Silva, Brazil;

Pr. Francolino Goncalves, O.P., Portugal;

Rev. Adrian Graffy, Great Britain;

Professor Mary E. Healy, United States of America;

Rev. John ChijiokeIwe, Nigeria;

Rev. Thomas Manjaly, India;

Rev. Hugo Orlando Martinez Aldana, Colombia;

Rev. Levente Balazs Martos, Hungary;

Rev. Jean Bosco Matand Bulembat, Democratic Republic of Congo;

Rev. Fearghus O'Fearghail, Ireland;

Rev. Johan Yeong-Sik Pahk, Korea;

Rev. Eleuterio Ramon Ruiz, Argentina;

Rev. Henryk Jozef Witczyk, Poland.

- appointed Professor Yves Coppens, lecturer in paleoanthropology and prehistory at the College de France in Paris, France, and Professor Ada E. Yonath, lecturer in biochemistry and director of the Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, as ordinary members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.