Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 9 November 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Herve Gosselin as bishop of Angouleme (area 5,956, population 365,851, Catholics 275,000, priests 75, religious 176, permanent deacons 10), France. The bishop-elect was born in 1956 in Nantes, France, and was ordained a priest in 1994. He holds a licentiate in moral theology and has served in a number of roles, including parish vicar, chaplain in the Rennes prison for men, professor of moral theology, spiritual director and treasurer of the interdiocesan seminary of Rennes. He is currently director of the “Foyer de Charite” of Tressaint. He succeeds Bishop Claude Dagens, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

On Saturday 6 November the Holy Father appointed:

- Fr. Lorenzo Piretto, O.P., as archbishop of Izmir (Catholics 15,000, priests 17, religious 19), Turkey. The bishop-elect was born in Mazze, Italy in 1942, gave his religious vows in 1963, and was ordained a priest in 1966. He holds a licentiate in theology from the University of Bologna and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Turin. He has occupied a number of academic roles at the F.I.S.T. of Turin and the University of Marmara in Istanbul. He has also served within his order as superior of the Convent of Istanbul, and as provincial vicar of Turkey, as in a number of pastoral roles including parish priest and vicar general. He is currently superior of the Convent of Izmir. He succeeds Archbishop Ruggero Franceschini, O.F.M. Cap., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Bishop Eugeniusz Miroslaw Popowicz as archbishop of the archieparchy of Przemysl-Warszawa of the Byzantines (Catholics 30,000, priests 47, religious 97), Poland. Msgr. Popowicz is currently auxiliary of the same archieparchy. He succeeds Archbishop Jan Martyniak whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archieparchy upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Rev. Fr. Damase Zinga Atangana as bishop of Kribi (area 11,000, population 150,000, Catholics 85,000, priests 44, religious 17), Cameroon. The bishop-elect was born in Nkog Bong, Cameroon in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He holds a doctorate in moral theology and a diploma in history and science of religions from the Charles de Gaulle University in Lille, France. He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Obala, Cameroon, including rector of the minor seminary, vicar general, parish priest, and diocesan chaplain. He is currently vicar general of Obala.

- Rev. Fr. Pedro Manuel Salamanca Mantilla and Rev. Fr. Luis Manuel Ali Herrera as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of Bogota (area 4,019, population 4,580,000, Catholics 3,925,000, priests 844, permanent deacons 107, religious 2,481), Colombia.

Rev. Fr. Salamanca Mantilla was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a licentiate in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the archdiocese of Bogota, including parish vicar, pastor, and formator in the major seminary. He is currently archdiocesan delegate for the coordination of permanent formation of the clergy, and parish priest.

Rev. Fr. Ali Herrera was born in Barranquilla, Colombia in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He holds licentiates theology and psychology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the archdiocese of Bogota, including parish vicar, secretary and notary of the episcopal vicar, parish priest, university chaplain, and formator in the major seminary. He is currently parish priest and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

- Msgr. Ricardo Orlando Seirutti as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Cordoba (area 13,717, population 755,000, Catholics 698,179, priests 83, religious 169), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from the Catholic University of Cordoba and has served as formator in the minor seminary, assessor for youth pastoral ministry, chaplain and formator of candidates to the permanent diaconate. He is currently vicar forane and parish priest.