OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, JUL 16, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed:

- Bishop Rogelio Cabrera Lopez of Tacambaro, as bishop of Tapachula (area 16,536, population 1,238,459, Catholics 1,093,198, priests 70, religious 115), Mexico.

- Auxiliary Bishop Jose Luis Chavez Botello of Guadalajara, as bishop of Tuxtla Gutierrez (area 22,629, population 1,417,000, Catholics 1,010,000, priests 82, religious 274), Mexico.

On Saturday, July 14, it was made public that the Holy Father:

- Appointed Fr. Giuseppe Hoang Van Tiem, S.D.B., professor of moral theology at the Major Seminary of Hanoi, as bishop of Bui Chu (area 1,350, population 1,120,000, Catholics 349,000, priests 47, religious 371), Vietnam. The bishop-elect was born in Hai Son, Vietnam, in 1938, and ordained to the priesthood in 1973.

- Appointed Fr. Joseph Vu Duy Thong, professor at the Major Seminary of Ho Chi Minh City, (area 2,390, population 5,063,871, Catholics 541,302, priests 453, religious 3,508), Vietnam, as auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese. The bishop-elect was born in Thai Binh, Vietnam, in 1952, and ordained to the priesthood in 1985.

- Appointed Fr. Victor Hugo Palma Paul, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Guatemala, director of studies at the National Major Seminary of Guatemala, as coadjutor bishop of Escuintla (area 4,384, population 1,000,000, Catholics 700,000, priests 17, religious 48), Guatemala. The bishop-elect was born in Guatemala City, in 1958, and ordained to the priesthood in 1983.

- Appointed Fr. Paul Nguyen Thanh Hoan, pastor and dean of Ham Tan in the diocese of Phan Thiet (area 7,854, population 1,047,040, Catholics 134,511, priests 71, religious 260), Vietnam, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Nghe An, in 1939, and ordained to the priesthood in 1965.

- Appointed Archbishop Patrick Coveney, apostolic nuncio in New Zealand, as apostolic nuncio in the Republic of Palau and the Cook Islands.

- Appointed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, archbishop of Westminster, Great Britain, as a member of the Committee of the Presidency of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

- Gave his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Melkite Catholic Church, meeting in Raboueh on June 22, 2001, of:

- Archimandrite Salim Ghazal, O.B.S., superior general of the Basilian Order of the Most Holy Savior, as auxiliary bishop of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, with the office of bishop of the Curia. The bishop-elect was born in Machghara, in 1931, and ordained to the priesthood in 1958.

- Fr. Joseph Absi, M.S.P., superior general of the Society of Missionaries of St. Paul, as auxiliary bishop of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, with the office of bishop of the Curia. The bishop-elect was born in Damascus, in 1946, and ordained to the priesthood in 1973.

- Fr. Jules Zerey, of the patriarchal clergy, as auxiliary bishop of Antioch of the Greek-Melkites, with the office of protosyncellus of Alexandria. He succeeds Archbishop Paul Antaki, whose resignation was accepted by the same Synod on June 21, 2001. The bishop-elect was born in Alexandria of Egypt, in 1941, and ordained to the priesthood in 1967.

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