OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

 - Bishop Casimiro Lopez Llorente of Zamora, Spain, as bishop of Segorbe-Castellon de la Plana (area 4,380, population 449,043, Catholics 419,701, priests 282, permanent deacons 4, religious 513), Spain.

 - Msgr. Frank J. Dewane of the clergy of the diocese of Green Bay, U.S.A., under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, as coadjutor of Venice (area 22,685, population 1,766,651, Catholics 218,173, priests 239, permanent deacons 75, religious 202), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Green Bay in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1988.
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STATISTICS CONCERNING THE CHURCH IN POLAND

VATICAN CITY, APR 25, 2006 (VIS) - For the occasion of Benedict XVI's forthcoming apostolic trip to Poland, his second visit outside Italy as Pope which is due to take place from May 25 to 28, we offer our readers statistics concerning the Catholic Church in Poland taken from the latest Statistical Yearbook of the Church with data relative to December 31, 2004.

  Poland has a population of 38.2 million, of whom 36.6 million (95.8 percent) are Catholic. There are 45 ecclesiastical circumscriptions, 10,114 parishes and 800 pastoral centers of other kinds. Currently, there are 133 bishops, 28,546 priests, 24,826 religious, 1,081 lay members of secular institutes and 14,418 catechists. Minor seminarians number 1,803, and major seminarians 6,427.

  A total of 315,698 children and young people attend 1,726 centers of Catholic education, from kindergartens to universities. Other institutions belonging to the Church, or run by priests or religious in Poland include 33 hospitals, 244 clinics, 267 homes for the elderly or disabled, 538 orphanages and nurseries, 1,820 family counseling centers and other pro-life centers, and 1,462 centers for education and social rehabilitation.
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, APR 24, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Oscar Gonzalez Villa of the clergy of the archdiocese of Manizales, Colombia, rector of the major seminary of "Nuestra Senora del Rosario," as bishop of Girardota (area 2,445, population 203,000, Catholics 183,000, priests 56, religious 99), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in Alcala, Colombia in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1973.

  On Saturday, April 22, it was made public that he:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Ouesso, Republic of the Congo, presented by Bishop Herve Itoua, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Okigwe, Nigeria, presented by Bishop Anthony Ekezia Ilonu, in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Solomon Amanchukwu Amatu.

 - Appointed Bishop Antonio Augusto dos Santos Marto of Viseu, Portugal, as bishop of Leiria-Fatima (area 1,700, population 267,000, Catholics 256,000, priests 154, religious 546), Portugal. He succeeds Bishop Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Msgr. Ignazio Sanna of the clergy of the diocese of Nuoro, Italy, professor and pro-rector of the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, as metropolitan archbishop of Oristano (area 3,112, population 148,915, Catholics 148,067, priests 122, permanent deacons 6, religious 362), Italy. The archbishop-elect was born in Orune, Italy in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1967. He succeeds Archbishop Pier Giuliano Tiddia, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Beatus Kinyaiya O.F.M. Cap., former provincial superior for Tanzania, as bishop of Mbulu (area 1,605, population 900,000, Catholics 242,698, priests 58, religious 175), Tanzania. The bishop-elect was born in Shimbwe, Tanzania in 1957 and ordained a priest in 1989.

 - Appointed Bishop Sebastiano Sanguinetti of Ozieri, Italy, as bishop of Tempio-Ampurias (area 2,695, population 145,400, Catholics 144,000, priests 79, permanent deacons 2, religious 117), Italy.

 - Appointed Msgr. Gianfranco De Luca of the clergy of the diocese of Teramo-Atri, Italy, pastor and head of youth pastoral care, as bishop of Termoli-Larino (area 1,424, population 106,500, Catholics 105,850, priests 69, permanent deacons 8, religious 109), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Atri in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1974.

 - Appointed Msgr. Jose Maria Ortega Trinidad, pastor of the cathedral "San Vicente Martir" in San Vicente de Canete, Peru, as bishop-prelate of the territorial prelature of Juli (area 17,427, population 455,000, Catholics 404,000, priests 13, religious 37), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Nava, Peru in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1978.
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AUDIENCES

VATICAN CITY, APR 24, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences six prelates from the Ghana Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Bishop Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi of Sunyani.

    - Archbishop Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya of Tamale.

    - Bishop Philip Naameh of Damongo.

    - Bishop Lucas Abadamloora of Navrongo-Bolgatanga.

    - Bishop Paul Bemile of Wa.

    - Bishop Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai S.V.D., of Yendi.

  On Saturday, April 22, he received in separate audiences:

 - Six prelates from the Ghana Bishops' Conference, on their "ad limina" visit:

    - Msgr. Joseph Kwaku Afrifah-Agyekum, bishop-elect of Koforidua.

    - Archbishop Peter Kwasi Sarpong of Kumasi, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anoyke.

    - Bishop Peter Kwaku Atuahene of Goaso.

    - Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu of Konongo-Mampong.

    - Bishop Thomas Kwaku Mensah of Obuasi.

 - Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
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MAY THE CHURCH DRAW INSPIRATION FROM LIFE OF ST. TORIBIO

VATICAN CITY, APR 24, 2006 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope for celebrations marking the fourth centenary of the death of St. Toribio de Mogrovejo, the second archbishop of Lima, Peru. The celebrations are being held in Lima from April 24 to 29.

  Addressing Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne, archbishop of Lima, as well as the bishops, priests, religious and laity participating in the event, the Pope invites them to "consider this anniversary as a providential opportunity to reactivate the journey of the Church in the various dioceses, drawing inspiration from the life and work of St. Toribio."

  That saint, writes the Pope, "distinguished himself for his selfless commitment to the edification and consolidation of the ecclesial communities of his day. He did so with a great spirit of communion and collaboration, always seeking unity as is shown by his calling of the third provincial council of Lima (1582-1583), ... one fruit of which was the so-called Catechism of St. Toribio."

  The Holy Father highlights the fact that the saint founded the conciliar seminary in Lima, which still exists today. He also expresses his hope that the seminary "may continue to give abundant fruit, precisely at a time when it is urgently necessary to promote vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life in order to face the immense task of building Christian communities that gather joyfully on Sunday, perform the Sacraments, foment spiritual life, transmit and cultivate the faith, bear witness of resolute hope, and always practice charity."

  "St. Toribio's profound missionary spirit," writes the Pope, was apparent in "his efforts to learn various languages in order to be able to preach personally to all those entrusted to his pastoral care." This, the Holy Father's message concludes, "was also a sign of his respect for the dignity of all human beings, whatever their condition, in whom he always sought to promote the joy of feeling themselves to be true children of God."
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