Other Pontifical Acts

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

- appointed Bishop Cesar Augusto Franco Martinez as bishop of Segovia (area 6,949, population 166,200, Catholics 156,200, priests 185, religious 387), Spain. Bishop Franco Martinez is currently auxiliary of the archdiocese of Madrid. He succeeds Bishop Angel Rubio Castro, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Fr. Antonio Tourinho Neto as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Olinda e Recife (area 4,058, population 3,996,000, Catholics 3,777,000, priests 275, permanent deacons 23, religious 1,216), Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Jequie, Brazil in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1990. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Institute of Canon Law of the archdiocese of Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Jequie, including: defender of the bond and promoter of justice, judge auditor of the Ecclesiastical Chamber, parish priest of the Santo Antonio Cathedral, chancellor of the diocesan curia, spiritual director of the Joao Paulo II diocesan seminary, and parish priest of the community of Santo Antonio do Quilometro Cem in the municipality of Brejoes. He is currently vicar general in the diocese of Jequie.

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Zaragoza, Spain, presented by Archbishop Manuel Urena Pastor, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.