OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, 24 NOV 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Appointed Bishop Paul Mandla Khumalo C.M.M. of Witbank, South Africa, as metropolitan archbishop of Pretoria (area 16,580, population 4,994,000, Catholics 192,510, priests 113, permanent deacons 11, religious 302), South Africa and as military ordinary for South Africa. The archbishop-elect was born in Saint Wendelin, South Africa in 1947, he was ordained a priest in 1973 and consecrated a bishop in 2002. He succeeds Archbishop Geroge Francis Daniel, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese and from the same office of military ordinary, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Bishop Desire Tsarahazana of Fenoarivo Atsinanana, Madagascar, as bishop of Toamasina (area 23,690, population 1,957,000, Catholics 771,000, priests 41, religious 138), Madagascar. He succeeds Bishop Rene Rakontondrabe, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Fr. Georges Varkey Puthiyakulangara M.E.P., diocesan director for Catholic education in the diocese of Mahajanga, Madagascar, as coadjutor of Port-Berge (area 23,367, population 579,000, Catholics 16,161, priests 16, religious 47), Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Endoor, India in 1953 and ordained a priest in 1982.

 - Appointed Fr. Jose Luis Gerardo Ponce de Leon I.M.C., secretary general and procurator general of the Consolata Missionaries, as apostolic vicar of Ingwavuma (area 12,309, population 617,923, Catholics 24,029, priests 7, religious 14), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1986.

  On Saturday 22 November it was made public that he appointed:

 - Cardinal Julian Herranz, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, as his special envoy to celebrations marking the 1,750th anniversary of the martyrdom of St. Fructuosus and of the deacons St. Augurius and St. Eulogius, known as the proto-martyrs of Tarragona, due to be held in that Spanish city on 25 January 2009.

 - Bishop Joseph Ake Yapo of Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, as archbishop of Gagnoa (area 21,951, population 1,320,000, Catholics 132,000, priests 122, religious 129), Ivory Coast. The archbishop-elect was born in Memni, Ivory Coast in 1951, he was ordained a priest in 1978 and consecrated a bishop in 2001.

 - Fr. Silvester San of the clergy of Ende, Indonesia, rector of the major seminary of Ritapiret, Maumere, as bishop of Denpasar (area 25,756, population 8,171,781, Catholics 32,083, priests 36, religious 96), Indonesia. The bishop-elect was born in Maupongo, in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1988.

 - Fr. Ariel Edgardo Torrado Mosconi, pastor of the parish of "San Isidro Labrador", as auxiliary of Santiago del Estero (area 81,969, population 653,000, Catholics 587,000, priests 71, permanent deacons 13, religious 109), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in 25 de Mayo, Argentina in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1990.

 - Thomas Han Hong-soon as international auditor of the Prefecture of the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
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