Pope Francis today appointed Archbishop Santo Gangemi, until now apostolic nuncio to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, as the new apostolic nuncio to Guinea.
He also appointed Fr. Ailton Menegussi of the clergy of Sao Mateus, Brazil, as bishop of Crateus. The area has a population of 394,000 out of whom are 361,000 Catholics, 31 priests, 4 permanent deacons, and 38 religious.
The bishop-elect was born in Nova Venecia, Brazil in 1962, and was ordained a priest in 1998. He has served in a number of roles, including parish vicar in Sao Mateus; rector of the minor seminary “Joao XXIII” in Sao Mateus; rector of the major seminary of Sao Mateus in Carapina, archdiocese of Vitoria do Espirito Santo; spiritual father of the major seminary “Maria, Mae da Igreja”; co-ordinator of the diocesan vocational team in Sao Mateus; and member of the council of formation of the diocese of Sao Mateus. He is currently priest of the parish “Sao Francisco de Assis” in Barra de Sao Francisco.
Pope Francis today appointed Bishop Salvatore Ronald Matano of Burlington, U.S.A., as bishop of Rochester (population 1,580,000, Catholics 461,297, priests 235, permanent deacons 145, religious 148). Bishop Matano was born in Providence, U.S.A. in 1946, was ordained to the priesthood in 1971 and received episcopal ordination in 2005.
Also appointed today was Fr. Pierre Jubinville, C.S.Sp., as bishop of San Pedro in Paraguay (population 453,000, Catholics 416,000, priests 28, religious 47).
The bishop-elect was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1960 and ordained to the priesthood in 1988. He holds a licentiate in religious sciences from the Institut Catholique de Paris. He has carried out missionary works in Kongolo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including: missionary in Mexico, missionary in Paraguay, priest in the parish of “San Francisco de Asis” in Lima, San Pedro; and superior of the Spiritan community in Asuncion, Paraguay. He is currently first general assistant of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit in Rome.
