Acta/Ethiopia - Meki (Eparchy of Adigrat) - Rev. Abraha Desta appointed Vicar Apostolic
Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has appointed (14 January 2003) Vicar Apostolic of Meki in Ethiopia, Reverend Father Abraha Desta, at present Chancellor and Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of the Eparchy of Adigrat, assigning to him the titular See of Orrea di Aninico.
Rev. Abraha Desta was born 21 March 1951 at Medea-Sebea (Eparchy of Adigrat). He studied for the priesthood in Ethiopia and in Ireland, obtaining a Licentiate in Dogmatic Theology at the Jesuit Institute of Milltown Park, Dublin. He was ordained a priest on 20 April 1980. Since then he has been: pastoral assistant in the archdiocese of Westminster, London; Rector of the Diocesan College of Adigrat; Secretary to the Bishop, and Diocesan Co-ordinator of Youth pastoral; Chancellor and Secretary General of the Catholic Secretariat of the Eparchy of Adigrat.
The Vicariate Apostolic of Meki, situated in southeast Ethiopia, is considered a region of first evangelisation. It has an area of 156,600 sq. km, a population of 5.474.070, of whom 20,107 are Catholics, gathered in 10 parishes, assisted by 29 priests (13 diocesan, 16 religious) and 49 Sisters. There are 20 major seminarians. The Vicariate was created in 1991 and entrusted to the pastoral care of the Consolata Missionaries IMC. (Fides Service 29/1/2003)
Acta/Indonesia - Samarinda new Ecclesiastical Province, first Archbishop Florentinus Sului Hajang Hau
Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has, (14 January 2003) created the new Ecclesiastical Province of Samarinda, separating it from the Ecclesiastical Province of Pontianak (Indonesia). The new Ecclesiastical Province will comprise the suffragan dioceses of Banjarmasin, Pakangkaraya and Tanjung Selor.
The Holy Father has appointed first Metropolitan Archbishop of Samarinda, Mgr Florentinus Sului Hajang Hau, M. S. F., until now Bishop of the same diocese.
Indonesia the largest archipelago in the world has an area of almost 2.000.000 sq. km., and a population of 210,000,000 mostly Muslim. There are about 6,000,000 Catholics.
The Church in Indonesia comprises 8 Ecclesiastical Provinces: Ende, Jakarta, Kupang, Makassar, Medan, Meraukee, Pontianak, Semarang.
The present Ecclesiastical Province of Pontianak covers the vast territory of the Island of Kalimantan (or South Borneo), with the recent creation of the new diocese of Tanjung Selor (2001) has 8 dioceses with about 890,000 Catholics in a population of about 11,590,000. This province has seen the greatest increase in the number of Catholics in the whole of Indonesia, mainly among the Dayak people in Kalimantan which has an are of 560,940 sq. km.
The new Ecclesiastical Province of Samarinda will comprise the civil districts of East, Southern and Central Kalimantan (mostly covered in forests) and will have the suffragan dioceses of Banjarmasin, Pakangkaraya and Tanjung Selor. The See of the new archdiocese will be Samarinda, capital of the vast province of East Kalimantan where most Dayak Catholics live. The city is also the civil capital of the area. Samarinda diocese (1961) was evangelised by the Capuchin Friars and by the Missionaries of the Holy Family. It has an area of 114,810 sq. km., and a population of 1,538,601, of whom 100,000 are Catholics, 70% Dayak. (Fides Service 29/1/2003)
Acta/Sri Lanka - Ratnapura - Rev. Harold Anthony Perera appointed Bishop
Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II has, (14 January 2003), Bishop of Ratnapura (Sri Lanka) Reverend Father Harold Anthony Perera, Director of the National Major Seminary.
The Bishop elect was born on 9 June 1951 in Bopitiya (Archdiocese of Colombo) to Catholic parents. He studied for the priesthood in Sri Lanka and in Rome obtaining a Licentiate in Theology at the Angelicum University. He was ordained a priest on 5 July 1080 for the archdiocese of Colombo. Since then he has been: assistant priest, parish priest and bursar at the National Major Seminary in Kandy, procurator general, administrator of St Anthony's Shrine, diocesan Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. Presently he is Director of the National Major Seminary.
The diocese of Ratnapura is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Colombo, the only Ecclesiastical Province in Sri Lanka, and it was created on 2 November 1995. It has an area of 4,968 sq. km., a population of 1,766,800 of whom 25,525 are Catholics gathered in 21 parishes, looked after by 27 priests (21 diocesan and 6 Religious), assisted by 8 Brothers, 80 Sisters and there are 9 major seminarians. The diocese is situated in the south of the Island. (Fides Service 29/1/2003)