OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 20, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Msgr. Gerardo Rocconi, vicar general of the diocese of Senigallia, Italy, as bishop of Jesi (area 315, population 76,200, Catholics 74,400, priests 56, permanent deacons 8, religious 76), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Corinaldo, Italy in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1973. He succeeds Bishop Oscar Serfilippi O.F.M. Cap., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

  On Saturday, March 18, it was made public that he:

 - Appointed Bishop Jose Serofia Palma of Calbayog, Philippines, as archbishop of Palo (area 4,620, population 1,603,000, Catholics 1,283,000, priests 144, religious 144), Philippines. The archbishop-elect was born in Dingle, Philippines in 1950, he was ordained a priest in 1976 and consecrated a bishop in 1998. He succeeds Archbishop Pedro R. Dean, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

 - Appointed Msgr. Rodolfo Fontiveros Beltran, vicar general of the archdiocese of Tuguegarao, Philippines, as apostolic vicar of Bontoc-Lagawe (area 4,615, population 307,348, Catholics 202,754, priests 30, religious 23), Philippines. The bishop-elect was born in Gattaran-Cagayan, Philippines in 1948 and ordained a priest in 1976.

 - Elevated the "Missio sui iuris" of Kyrgyzstan to the rank of apostolic administration. At the same time, he appointed Fr. Nikolaus Messmer S.J., rector of the pre-seminary of the diocese of the Transfiguration at Novosibirsk, Russian Federation, as the first apostolic administrator of the new circumscription, elevating him to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan in 1954 and ordained a priest in 1989.
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