Holy Fathers current activities

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VATICAN CITY, JUN 3, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, adjunct prefect of the Pontifical Household, as metropolitan archbishop of Krakow (area 5,730, population 1,618,593, Catholics 1,566,555, priests 2,026, religous 4,841), Poland. The metropolitan archbishop-elect was born in Raba Wyzna, Poland, in 1939. From 1966 to 1978 he acted as private secretary to Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow and, following the latter's election as Pope John Paul II, continued to act as his private secretary throughout his pontificate from 1978 to 2005. He was ordained a bishop by John Paul II in 1998 and elevated to the dignity of archbishop in 2003. He succeeds Cardinal Franciszek Macharski, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese was accepted by the Holy Father, upon having reached the age limit.

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VATICAN CITY, JUN 21, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:



- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Reno, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Phillip Francis Straling, in accordance with Canon 401, para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.



- Appointed Bishop Walter Allison Hurley, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Detroit, U.S.A., as bishop of Grand Rapids (area 17,592, population 1,283,717, Catholics 162,670, priests 136, permanent deacons 29, religious 289), U.S.A.



- Appointed Msgr. John Gerard Noonan, president-rector of the Saint John Vianney College Seminary, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Miami (area 12,836, population 4,036,799, Catholics 856,783, priests 361, permanent deacons 142, religious 509), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1983.



- Appointed Professor Giovanni Rocchi and Dr. Franco Berti, respectively, as director and vice director for health care and hygiene of the Governorate of Vatican City State.



- Appointed Msgr. Giulio Viviani, official of pontifical ceremonies, as chaplain of the Gendarmerie of Vatican City State.

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VATICAN CITY, JUN 23, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop Bernard-Nicolas Aubertin O. Cist., of Chartres, France, as metropolitan archbishop of Tours (area 6,158, population 560,413, Catholics 347,456, priests 143, permanent deacons 16, religious 458), France. The archbishop-elect was born in Epinal, France, in 1944, was ordained to the priesthood in 1972 and consecrated a bishop in 1998.

NER/.../AUBERTIN VIS 050623 (70)

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VATICAN CITY, JUN 24, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father:



- Erected the new diocese of Gulbarga (area 38,752, population 7,012,492, Catholics 6,425, priests 29, religious 111), India, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Hyderabad and from the dioceses of Bellary and Belgaum, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church of Bangalore. He appointed Fr. Robert Miranda of the clergy of Mangalore, episcopal vicar of Bidar, as first bishop of the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Kirem, India, in 1952 and ordained a priest in 1978.



- Appointed Fr. Fidelis Rakotonarivo S.J., spiritual director and bursar of the seminary of Fianarantosa, as bishop of Ambositra (area 24,000, population 695,651, Catholics 334,786, priests 71, religious 146), Madagascar. The bishop-elect was born in Ambohimahazo, Madagascar, in 1956 and ordained to the priesthood in 1992.



- Appointed Msgr. Alfonso Cortes Contreras, rector of the Pontifical Mexican College in Rome, as auxiliary bishop of Monterrey (area 17,886, population 6,809,345, Catholics 5,146,211, priests 509, permanent deacons 25, religious 1,048), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Michoacan, Mexico, in 1947 and ordained a priest in 1972.

WCW:NER:NEA/.../MIRANDA: RAKOTONARIVO:CORTES VIS 050624 (190)


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