By Junno Arocho
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 19, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Petero Mataca of Suva in Fiji. The 79 year old prelate had tendered his resignation upon reaching the age of 75, in conformity with canon 401 of the Code of Canon Law.
The Holy Father has appointed in his stead Fr. Peter Loy Chong who hails from Suva. Fr. Chong, who also hails from the Archdiocese of Suva, is currently in the School of Theology at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit university.
Fr. Chong was born in 1961 in Fiji and completed his priestly formation studies at Pacific Regional Seminary. He was ordained in 1992 where he was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Suva. The Archbishop-elect completed his studies at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University with a Doctorate in Theology.