Corral Mantilla retired as Riobamba Bishop

Bishop Victor Alejandro Corral Mantilla retired as Bishop of Riobamba, Ecuador.

Sfeir resigned as Antioch (Maronite) Patriarch

Patriarch Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir resigned as Patriarch of Antiochia {Antioch} (Maronite), Lebanon.

Waltersheid named Pittsburgh Auxiliary

Bishop-elect William J. Waltersheid was named Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and titular bishop of California.

Poletto retired, Pellegrini named Concordia-Pordenone Bishop

Bishop Ovidio Poletto retired and Bishop-elect Giuseppe Pellegrini was named Bishop of Concordia-Pordenone, Italy.

Sterzinsky retired as Berlin Archbishop

Georg Maximilian Cardinal Sterzinsky retired as Archbishop of Berlin, Germany.

Victor retired as Brasilia Auxiliary

Bishop Francisco de Paula Victor retired as Auxiliary Bishop of Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.

Lona retired, Martínez Perea succeeded as San Luis Bishop

Bishop Jorge Luis Lona retired and Bishop Pedro Daniel Martínez Perea succeeded as Bishop of San Luis, Argentina.

Bishop Martínez Perea had been serving as Coadjutor Bishop of the same diocese.

Adams named Greece Nuncio

Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams was named Apostolic Nuncio to Greece.

He had been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Philippines.

Kalathiparambil named Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People Secretary

Bishop Joseph (Joy) Kalathiparambil was named Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

The post had been vacant since the resignation of Archbishop Agostino Marchetto in August 2010.

Bishop Kalathiparambil had been serving as Bishop of Calicut, India.

Tremblay retired, Lemay named Amos Bishop

Bishop Eugène Tremblay retired and Bishop Gilles Lemay was named Bishop of Amos, Québec, Canada.

Bishop Lemay had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Québec.

Lacroix named Québec Archbishop

Archbishop-designate Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, I.S.P.X. was named Archbishop of Québec, Canada.

The archdiocese had been vacant since then-Archbishop Marc Ouellet, P.S.S. was named Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops in June 2010.

Archbishop-designate Lacroix had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the same archdiocese.

Hudsyn, Kockerols, and Lemmens named Mechelen-Brussel Auxiliaries

Bishop-elect Jean-Luc Hudsyn, Bishop-elect Jean Kockerols, and Bishop-elect Léon Lemmens were all named Auxiliary Bishops of Mechelen-Brussel {Malines-Brussels}, Belgium and titular bishops of Apt, Ypres, and Municipa, respectively.

Six Cardinal-Deacons become Cardinal-Priests

The six remaining Cardinal-Deacons that were created in the consistory of 21 Feb 2001 were today all elevated to Cardinal-Priests with each retaining the same title.

The six are: Cardinals Cacciavillan, Grocholewski, Kasper, Mejía, Sebastiani, and Tucci.

There are now 10 Cardinal-Bishops, 158 Cardinal-Priests, and 33 Cardinal-Deacons for a total of 201 living cardinals. Of those, 117 are eligible to vote in a conclave should one be required. 6 more cardinals will turn 80 and lose their eligibility to vote before the end of this year (including Cardinal Sebastiani who was elevated today).

Version 2.6.8 and a General Refresh

I'm happy to release a new version (2.6.8) of the main code along with an update to the build system (1.8.2). This was the first change to the build system since September 2003.

Just to explain that a bit, the main code (web.ssl) does most of the actual work (like generating a web page), the build system (build.ssl) controls the overall process.

The changes are almost all internal, relating mostly to expanding some variables that had reached their limits (i.e., the web site had simply grown too big) and adjusting the meaning of some others. As always, it is certainly possible that I've broken something else in the process, so if you see something really odd, please let me know.


For those that really watch the site closely, the Build Detail pages will have a few enhancements. (The lists of which bishops, dioceses, etc. were updated will still normally be included except for when the build is a "full" refresh.)

The other big event this weekend was a full refresh of the web site (44,660 web pages). (The site itself is slightly larger than that because it includes a few non-automated web pages.) That build is complete, but it may take a day or so to get it all uploaded.

The full build this time took a bit over 11 hours (which is part of the reason I don't do them very often!). I should note however, that is a vast improvement over the last successful full build which was done in April 2004 and took roughly 88 hours (and that was with about half the number of bishops on the site).

The full build before that took about the same length of time as the new one. It was in September 2003 and took just under 12 hours. But the site at that time was much simpler, it had just begun to add Bishop Lineages and it didn't yet have Titular Dioceses, Cardinal Titles, any of the Structured Views, nor any Consistory, Conclave, or Council information. At that time there were less than 14,000 bishops (vs over 30,000 now).

Jurkovič named Russian Federation Nuncio

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič was named Apostolic Nuncio to Russian Federation.

The post had been vacant since Archbishop Antonio Mennini was named Apostolic Nuncio to Great Britain in December 2010.

Archbishop Jurkovič had been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine.

Nsue Edjang Mayé named Ebebiyin Bishop

Bishop-elect Juan Nsue Edjang Mayé was named Bishop of Ebebiyin, Equatorial Guinea.

The diocese had been vacant since the death of Bishop Alfred Maria Oburu Asue, C.M.F. in August 2006.

D’Annibale named Río Gallegos Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Miguel Ángel D’Annibale was named Auxiliary Bishop of Río Gallegos, Argentina and titular bishop of Nasai.

Mamza named Yola Bishop

Bishop-elect Stephen Dami Mamza was named Bishop of Yola, Nigeria.

The diocese had been vacant since the death of Bishop Christopher Shaman Abba in January 2010.

Alves de Souza named Porto Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Pio Gonçalo Alves de Souza was named Auxiliary Bishop of Porto, Portugal and titular bishop of Aquae Flaviae.

Gonçalves Heleno retired, Messias de Oliveira named Caratinga Bishop

Bishop Hélio Gonçalves Heleno retired and Bishop Emanuel Messias de Oliveira was named Bishop of Caratinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Bishop Messias de Oliveira had been serving as Bishop of Guanhães.

Falcão de Barros named Brazil, Military Auxiliary

Bishop-elect José Francisco Falcão de Barros was named Auxiliary Bishop of Brazil, Military and titular bishop of Augurus.

Mendes Tavares named Belém do Pará Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Teodoro Mendes Tavares, C.S.Sp. was named Auxiliary Bishop of Belém do Pará, Para, Brazil and titular bishop of Verbe.

Duffy retired, Chinyemba named Mongu Bishop

Bishop Paul Francis Duffy, O.M.I. retired and Bishop-elect Evans Chinyama Chinyemba, O.M.I. was named Bishop of Mongu, Zambia.

Francis retired, Zeigler succeeded as Monrovia Archbishop

Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis retired and Archbishop Lewis Zeigler succeeded as Archbishop of Monrovia, Liberia.

Archbishop Zeigler had been serving as Coadjutor Archbishop of the same archdiocese.

Rouet retired as Poitiers Archbishop

Archbishop Albert Jean-Marie Rouet retired as Archbishop of Poitiers, France.

Cheenath retired, Barwa named Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Archbishop

Archbishop Raphael Cheenath, S.V.D. retired and Archbishop-designate John Barwa, S.V.D. was named Archbishop of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, India.

Archbishop-designate Barwa had been serving as Bishop of Rourkela.

Impfondo, Congo elevated, Gardin named Bishop

The Prefecture Apostolic of Likouala was elevated into the Diocese of Impfondo, Congo. The ordinary, Bishop-elect Jean Gardin, C.S.Sp., was named its first bishop.

Abagna Mossa named Owando Bishop

Bishop-elect Victor Abagna Mossa was named Bishop of Owando, Congo.

The diocese had been vacant since the death of Bishop Ernest Kombo, S.J. in October 2008.

Husar retires as Kyiv-Halyč Major Archbishop

Lubomyr Cardinal Husar retired as Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halyč {Kiev} (Ukrainian), Ukraine.

Janusz named Slovenia Nuncio

Archbishop Juliusz Janusz was named Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia.

Archbishop Janusz had been serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Hungary.

Lilongwe elevated to Archdiocese, Sainte-Marie named Archbishop

The diocese of Lilongwe, Malawi was elevated to an Archdiocese. Its ordinary, Rémi Joseph Gustave Sainte-Marie, M. Afr., was named its first Archbishop.

Luluga retired, Wanok named Nebbi Bishop

Bishop Martin Luluga retired and Bishop-elect Sanctus Lino Wanok was named Bishop of Nebbi, Uganda.

Vecchi retired as Bologna Auxiliary

Bishop Ernesto Vecchi retired as Auxiliary Bishop of Bologna, Italy.

Lee Seong-hyo named Suwon Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Linus Lee Seong-hyo was named Auxiliary Bishop of Suwon, Korea (South) and titular bishop of Turris Tamalleni.

Schneider named Maria Santissima in Astana Auxiliary

Bishop Athanasius Schneider, O.R.C. was named Auxiliary Bishop of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Bishop Schneider had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Karaganda.

Lenga resigned, Kaleta named Karaganda Bishop

Bishop Jan Paweł Lenga, M.I.C. resigned and Bishop Janusz Kaleta was named Bishop of Karaganda, Kazakhstan.

Bishop Kaleta continues to serve as Apostolic Administrator of Atyrau.

Kramberger resigned, Turnšek succeeded as Maribor Archbishop

Archbishop Franc Kramberger resigned and Archbishop Marjan Turnšek succeeded as Archbishop of Maribor, Slovenia.

Archbishop Turnšek had been serving as Coadjutor Archbishop of the same archdiocese.

Now with 30,000 Bishops on the site

Thanks to a "snow day" at work, I was able to do a little bit of data entry on the website today. In doing so, it passed a milestone: it now has data on 30,000 Bishops.

Here is a quick table showing how the data has expanded over time:

Year	Month	Bishops	Months from previous
2002	Jun	5,000
2002	Nov	10,000	5
2003	Oct	15,000	11
2006	Sep	20,000	35
2009	Jan	25,000	28
2011	Feb	30,000	25

(Note: there are a few "bishops" on the site that are not really bishops. These are mostly either ordinaries of a jurisdiction such as a prefecture or cardinals that were not also bishops.)

Peña Parra named Pakistan Apostolic Nuncio

Archbishop-elect Edgar Peña Parra was named Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan.

The post had been vacant since Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana was named Apostolic Nuncio to Congo, Democratic Republic of in November 2010.

Sánchez González retired, Rodríguez Martínez named Sigüenza-Guadalajara Bishop

Bishop José Sánchez González retired and Bishop Atilano Rodríguez Martínez was named Bishop of Sigüenza-Guadalajara, Spain.

Bishop Rodríguez Martínez had been serving as Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo.

Berzosa Martínez named Ciudad Rodrigo Bishop

Bishop Cecilio Raúl Berzosa Martínez was named Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain.

Bishop Berzosa Martínez had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Oviedo.

García Centeno retired, Olaortúa Laspra named Iquitos vicar Apostolic

Bishop Julián García Centeno, O.S.A. retired and Bishop-elect Miguel Olaortúa Laspra, O.S.A. was named Vicar Apostolic of Iquitos, Peru and titular bishop of Abbir Maius.

Legrez named Albi Archbishop

Archbishop-designate Jean Marie Henri Legrez, O.P. was named Archbishop of Albi (-Castres-Lavaur), France.

The archdiocese had been vacant since Archbishop Pierre-Marie Joseph Carré was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Montpellier (-Lodève-Béziers-Agde-Saint-Pons-de-Thomières) in May 2010.

Archbishop-designate Legrez had been serving as Bishop of Saint-Claude.

Nieto Súa named San José del Guaviare Bishop

Bishop Francisco Antonio Nieto Súa was named Bishop of San José del Guaviare, Colombia.

The diocese had been vacant since Bishop Guillermo Orozco Montoya was named Bishop of Girardota in February 2010.

Bishop Nieto Súa had been serving as Auxiliary Bishop of Bogotá.

Cadavid Marin named Sonsón-Rionegro Bishop

Bishop Fidel León Cadavid Marin was named Bishop of Sonsón-Rionegro, Colombia.

The diocese had been vacant since then-Bishop Ricardo Antonio Tobón Restrepo was named Archbishop of Medellín in February 2010.

Bishop Cadavid Marin had been serving as Bishop of Quibdó.

Cordeiro de Lima named Fortaleza Auxiliary

Bishop-elect Rosalvo Cordeiro de Lima was named Auxiliary Bishop of Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil and titular bishop of Castellum Tatroportus.

Vukšić named first Bosnia and Herzegovina, Military Bishop

Bishop-elect Tomo Vukšić was named Bishop of the newly erected Bosnia and Herzegovina, Military Ordinariate.