VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 21, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Giuseppe Versaldi of Alessandria, Italy, as president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See, at the same time elevating him to the dignity of archbishop.
The archbishop-designate succeeds Cardinal Velasio De Paolis, who turned 76 today.
Giuseppe Versaldi was born in Vercelli, Italy, in 1943 and ordained in 1967. He was named bishop of Alessandria in 2007.
The Pope also named Father Lucio Vallejo Balda of the clergy of Astorga, Spain, as the secretary of that prefecture.
Finally, he appointed Marco Buonocore, head archivist of the Vatican Apostolic Library, as president of the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology.
USA
Auxiliary Bishop Peter Libasci of Rockville Centre, New York, has been named the bishop of Manchester, New Hampshire.
The 59-year-old New York native succeeds Bishop John McCormack, who retired for reasons of age.
The Diocese of Manchester has some 300,000 faithful served by around 270 priests and 530 religious.
Peter Libasci was born in 1951 and ordained a priest in 1978. He was named the auxiliary bishop of Rockville Centre in 2007.
The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of Archbishop Daniel Buechlein of Indianapolis, Indiana, in accord with the stipulation in canon law that permits a bishop to retire due to ill health or another grave reason. The archbishop has been afflicted by cancer and had a stroke in recent years. He is 73.
