Sebastián Aguilar retired, Pérez González named Pamplona y Tudela Archbishop

Archbishop Fernando Sebastián Aguilar, C.M.F. retired and Archbishop Francisco Pérez González was named Archbishop of Pamplona y Tudela, Spain. Archbishop Pérez González had been serving as the Military Ordinary for Spain.

Bishop Kovács Died

Bishop Endre Kovács, O. Cist., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Eger, Hungary, has died. He was 79 years old and had served as a priest for 56 years and as a bishop for 32 years. May he rest in peace.

Bilyk resigned as Buchach {Bucac} (Ukrainian) Bishop

Bishop Irynej Bilyk, O.S.B.M. resigned as Bishop of Buchach {Bucac} (Ukrainian), Ukraine.

Rizzato retired, del Blanco Prieto named Almoner

Archbishop Oscar Rizzato retired and Archbishop Félix del Blanco Prieto was named Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities. Archbishop del Blanco Prieto had been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Malta and to Libya.

Sagastume Lemus named Santa Rosa de Lima Bishop

Bishop-elect Bernabé de Jesús Sagastume Lemus, O.F.M. Cap. was named Bishop of Santa Rosa de Lima, Guatemala. The diocese had been vacant since the death of Bishop Julio Amílcar Bethancourt Fioravanti in July 2006.

Martinez Paredes named Guatemala Auxiliary

Bishop Raúl Antonio Martinez Paredes was named an Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala and titular bishop of Mizigi. Bishop Martinez Paredes had been serving as Bishop of Sololá-Chimaltenango.

Villa y Vásquez named Sololá-Chimaltenango Bishop

Bishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez, S.J. was named Bishop of Sololá-Chimaltenango, Guatemala. He had been serving as an Auxiliary of Guatemala.

Jiménez Zamora named Santander Bishop

Bishop Vicente Jiménez Zamora was named Bishop of Santander, Spain. The diocese had been vacant since Bishop José Vilaplana Blasco was named Bishop of Huelva in July 2006. Bishop Jiménez Zamora had been serving as Bishop of Osma-Soria.

Cadieux named Hearst Bishop

Bishop Vincent Cadieux, O.M.I. was named Bishop of Hearst, Ontario, Canada while remaining Bishop of Moosonee. The Diocese of Hearst had been vacant since the retirement of Bishop André Vallée, P.M.E. in November 2005.

Archbishop Saen-Phon-On Died

Archbishop Lawrence Khai Saen-Phon-On, Archbishop Emeritus of Thare and Nonseng, Thailand, has died. He was 78 years old and had served as a priest for 50 years. He had celebrated his 27th anniversary of consecration as a bishop just over a week before he passed away. May he rest in peace.

Bishop O'Connor Died

Bishop Hubert Patrick O'Connor, O.M.I., Bishop Emeritus of Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, has died. He was 79 years old and had served as a priest for 53 years and as a bishop for 35 years. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Pepén y Soliman Died

Bishop Juan Félix Pepén y Soliman, Bishop Emeritus of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia en Higüey, Dominican Republic, has died. He was 87 years old and had served as a priest for 60 years and as a bishop for 48 years. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Araújo Iglesias Died

Bishop Miguel Angel Araújo Iglesias, Bishop Emeritus of Mondoñedo-Ferrol, Spain, has died. He was 87 years old and had served as a bishop for 36 years. He died just a few days before the 62nd anniversary of his priestly ordination. May he rest in peace.

Archbishop Resende Costa Died

Archbishop João Resende (Rezende) Costa, S.D.B., Archbishop Emeritus of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, has died. He was 96 years old. He died a week before his 72nd anniversary of ordination to the priesthood. He had served as a bishop for 54 years. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Schmitz Died

Bishop Quirino Adolfo Schmitz, O.F.M., Bishop Emeritus of Teófilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil, has died. He was 88 years old and had served as a priest for 63 years and as a bishop for 46 years. May he rest in peace.

Bishop Pélach y Feliú Died

Bishop Enrique Pélach y Feliú, Bishop Emeritus of Abancay, Peru, had died. He was 89 years old and had served as a priest for 63 years. He died less than a week after celebrating his 39th anniversary of consecration as a bishop. May he rest in peace.

Rivas named Castries Coadjutor

Archbishop-designate Robert Rivas, O.P. was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Castries, Saint Lucia, Antilles. He had been serving as Bishop of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and Grenadines.

Sanguineti retired, Monari named Brescia Bishop

Bishop Giulio Sanguineti retired and Bishop Luciano Monari was named Bishop of Brescia, Italy. Bishop Monari had been serving as Bishop of Piacenza-Bobbio.

Galbusera named Pucallpa Coadjutor

Bishop-elect Gaetano Galbusera, S.D.B. was named Coadjutor Vicar Apostolic of Pucallpa, Peru.

Ostermann retired, Overbeck named Münster Auxiliary

Bishop Friedrich Ostermann retired and Bishop-elect Franz-Josef Overbeck was named Auxiliary Bishop of Münster, Germany. Bishop-elect Overbeck was also named titular bishop of Mathara in Numidia.

Zubik named Pittsburgh Bishop

Bishop David Allen Zubik was named Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The diocese had been vacant since then-Bishop Donald William Wuerl was named Archbishop of Washington, D.C. in May 2006. Bishop Zubik had been serving as Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Bishop Gilligan Died

Bishop Alejo Benedicto Gilligan, Bishop Emeritus of Nueve de Julio, Argentina, has died. He was 91 years old and had served as a priest for 64 years and as a bishop for 37 years. May he rest in peace.

Saw Min Thide named Yangon Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Justin Saw Min Thide was named Auxiliary Bishop of Yangon, Myanmar and titular bishop of Lemfocta.

Mokrzycki named Lviv Coadjutor

Archbishop-elect Mieczysław Mokrzycki was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Lviv, Ukraine.

Sandakan erected, Dusin Gitom named Bishop

The diocese of Sandakan, Malaysia was erected with territory taken from the diocese of Kota Kinabalu. Bishop-elect Julius Dusin Gitom was named its first bishop.

Malandrino retired, Crociata named Noto Bishop

Bishop Giuseppe Malandrino retired and Bishop-elect Mariano Crociata was named Bishop of Noto, Italy.

Buczek named Kharkiv-Zaporizhia Coadjutor

Bishop Marian Buczek was named Coadjutor Bishop of Kharkiv-Zaporizhia, Ukraine. Bishop Buczek had been serving as an Auxiliary Bishop of Lviv.

Delpini and Brambilla named Milano Auxiliaries

Bishop-elect Mario Delpini and Bishop-elect Franco Giulio Brambilla were named Auxiliary Bishops of Milano {Milan}, Italy and titular bishops of Stephaniacum and Tullia, respectively.

Caporello retired, Busti named Manotva Bishop

Bishop Egidio Caporello retired and Bishop-elect Roberto Busti was named Bishop of Mantova, Italy.

Keeler retired, O'Brien named Baltimore Archbishop

William Henry Cardinal Keeler retired and Archbishop Edwin Frederick O'Brien was named Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Archbishop O'Brien had been serving as Archbishop of United States of America, Military.

Beyra Luarca named Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo Bishop

Bishop-elect Álvaro Julio Beyra Luarca was named Bishop of Santisimo Salvador de Bayamo y Manzanillo, Cuba. The diocese had been vacant since then-Bishop Dionisio Guillermo García Ibáñez was named Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba in February 2007.

Oropesa Lorente named Cienfuegos Bishop

Bishop-elect Domingo Oropesa Lorente was named Bishop of Cienfuegos, Cuba. The diocese had been vacant since Bishop Emilio Aranguren Echeverria was named Bishop of Holguín in November 2005.

Sunday Appointment and the Summer Lull

You may have noticed that there was a bishop appointment today and that today is Sunday. This is quite unusual (the first one I can recall). It is not clear at the moment whether this was a one-time special event or whether Sunday appointments will become routine. I guess we'll find out over the coming months.

I should also note that since Pope Benedict XVI goes on vacation on Monday until the normal August recess, there will probably be a slow down in appointments generally. There will still be some, just not as many as usual. This is quite normal. Typically appointments return to a normal pace around mid-September.

Huonder named Chur Bishop

Bishop-elect Vitus Huonder was named Bishop of Chur, Switzerland. The diocese had been vacant since Bishop Amédée (Antoine-Marie) Grab, O.S.B. retired in February 2007.

Liberati named Archbishop

Bishop Carlo Liberati, Prelate of Pompei o Beatissima Vergine Maria del SS.mo Rosario, Italy, was elevated to an Archbishop.

Calcagno named Patrimony of the Apostolic See Secretary

Archbishop-designate Domenico Calcagno was named Secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and was at the same time elevated to an Archbishop. He had been serving as Bishop of Savona-Noli, Italy.

da Rocha Couto named Braga Auxiliary

Bishop-elect António José da Rocha Couto, S.M.P. was named Auxiliary Bishop of Braga, Portugal and titular bishop of Azura.

Kanyama named Dedza Bishop

Bishop-elect Emmanuele Kanyama was named Bishop of Dedza, Malawi. The diocese had been vacant since Bishop Rémi Joseph Gustave Sainte-Marie, M. Afr. was named Coadjutor Bishop of Lilongwe in February 2006.

Mkhori retired, Sainte-Marie named Lilongwe Bishop

Bishop Felix Eugenio Mkhori retired and Bishop Rémi Joseph Gustave Sainte-Marie, M. Afr. succeeded as Bishop of Lilongwe, Malawi. Bishop Sainte-Marie had been serving as Coadjutor Bishop of the same diocese.

Bishop Sbalchiero Neto Died

Bishop Pedro Sbalchiero Neto, M.S., Bishop of Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has died. He was 53 years old and had served as a priest for 27 years and as a bishop for 4 years. May he rest in peace.

Piedrahita Sandoval named Apartadó Bishop

Bishop Luis Adriano Piedrahíta Sandoval was named Bishop of Apartadó, Colombia. The diocese had been vacant since the death of Bishop Germán Garcia Isaza, C.M. in October 2006. Bishop Piedrahíta Sandoval had been serving as an Auxiliary Bishop of Cali.

De Nicolò retired, Lambiasi named Rimini Bishop

Bishop Mariano De Nicolò retired and Bishop Francesco Lambiasi was named Bishop of Rimini, Italy.

Barquero Arce retired, San Casimiro Fernández named Alajuela Bishop

Bishop José Rafael Barquero Arce retired and Bishop Angel San Casimiro Fernández, O.A.R. was named Bishop of Alajuela, Costa Rica. Bishop San Casimiro Fernández had been serving as Bishop of Ciudad Quesada.

Collins retired, Hurley named Darwin Bishop

Bishop Edmund John Patrick Collins, M.S.C. retired and Bishop Daniel Eugene Hurley was named Bishop of Darwin, Australia. Bishop Hurley had been serving as Bishop of Port Pirie.

Separy named Aitape Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Otto Separy was named an Auxiliary Bishop of Aitape, Papua New Guinea and titular bishop of Pupiana.

Cabrera resigned, Peralta succeeded as Alaminos Bishop

Bishop Jesus Aputen Cabrera resigned and Bishop Mario Mendoza Peralta succeeded as Bishop of Alaminos, Philippines.