Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 22 December 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has

- appointed Bishop Christopher J. Coyne, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Indianapolis, U.S.A., as bishop of Burlington (area 23,651, population 651,000, Catholics 123,700, priests 133, permanent deacons 43, religious 149), U.S.A.

- appointed Bishop Benjamin Ndiaye of Kaolack, Senegal, as archbishop of Dakar (area 4,803, population 3,677,000, Catholics 455,000, priests 168, religious 645), Senegal. He succeeds Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Basel, Switzerland, presented by Bishop Martin Gachter upon reaching the age limit.

- erected the new diocese of Kuzhithurai (area 915, population 855,485, Catholics 264,222, priests 131, religious 269) India, with territory taken from the diocese of Kottar, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Madurai. He appointed Fr. Jerome Dhas Varuvel, S.D.B., as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Paduvoor, India in 1951, gave his perpetual vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1985. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and theology, and a licentiate in education from the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome, and has served in a number of roles, including vice rector of the novitiate in Vellakinar, rector of the pre-novitiate in Tirupattur and Maiyam, dean of the Salesian student body in Trichy, parish priest and rector of the con-Cathedral of Madras-Mylapore, provincial counsellor, director of Kalvi Solai in Tirupattur and in Ennore, and director of Mount Don Bosco in Thalavadi. He is currently master of novices in Yeallagiri Hills, Vellore.

On Saturday, 20 December, the Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Jose Guadalupe Torres Campos of Gomez Palacio, Mexico, as bishop of Ciudad Juarez (area 29,639, population 2,727,000, Catholics 2,318,000, priests 116, permanent deacons 19, religious 206), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Renato Ascencio Leon, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue as camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church;

- Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, apostolic nuncio and president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, as vice camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.