OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2002 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, Argentina, presented by Archbishop Edgardo Gabriel Storni in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2, of the Code of Canon Law.

- Appointed Bishop Fulgence Rabemahafaly of Ambositra, Madagascar, as archbishop of Fianarantsoa (area 25,121, population 995,760, Catholics 418,749, priests 134, religious 626), Madagascar. He succeeds Archbishop Philibert Randriambololona, S.J., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of Sacraments presented by Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez. He appointed at the same time Cardinal Francis Arinze, president of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as president of same congregation.

- Appointed Bishop Michael Louis Fitzgerald, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as president of the same council, elevating him at the same time to the dignity of archbishop.

- Appointed Archbishop Renato Raffaele Martino, permanent observer of the Holy See to the Organization of United Nations, as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

- Accepted the resignation from the office of president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See presented by Cardinal Agostino Cacciavillan and appointed at the same time Bishop Attilio Nicora, emeritus of Verona, Italy, and delegate of the Presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference for juridical questions, as president of the same administration, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.

- Promoted Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re to the order of bishops, assigning him the suburbicarian seat of Sabina-Poggio Mirteto.

- Appointed Msgr. Gerhard Ludwig Muller, professor of dogmatic theology in the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Munich, as bishop of Regensburg (area 14,655, population 1,594,979, Catholics 1,343,131, priest 1,092, permanent deacons 67, religious 2,130), Germany. The bishop-elect was born in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1978.

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