Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican Information Service
December 22, 2015

http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2015/12/other-pontifical-acts_22.html

Vatican City, 22 December 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:

- Bishop Ruben Antonio Gonzalez Medina, C.M.F., of Caguas, Puerto Rico, as bishop of Ponce (area 2,045, population 628,300, Catholics 489,500, priests 112, permanent deacons 102, religious 257), Puerto Rico. He succeeds Bishop Felix Lazaro Martinez, Sch. P., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- Fr. Gerard County, C.S.Sp., as bishop of Kingstown (area 388, population 118,060, Catholics 102,000, priests 6, permanent deacons 7, religious 10), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The bishop-elect was born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1960, gave his religious vows in 1994 and was ordained a priest in 1996. He has served in a number of offices within his Congregation in Mexico, including bursar and director of youth pastoral care, parish priest of St. David Roldan Lara in the diocese of Tampico, superior provincial of Mexico. He is currently a member of the community of Spiritan Fathers in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

- Fr. Claude Hamelin as auxiliary of the diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil (area 2,075, population 735,941, Catholics 625,500, priests 103, permanent deacons 4, religious 387), Canada. The bishop-elect was born in Sherington, Canada in 1952 and was ordained a priest in 1977. He holds a bachelor's degree in theology and a master's degree in pastoral theology from the University of Montreal, Canada, and a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsianum Academy, Rome. He has served as chaplain in a private school, parish priest of St. Mark in Candiac, episcopal vicar for the central, northern and western region of the diocese of Saint-Jean-Longueuil, and head of the diocesan office for the clergy. He is currently vicar general of the same diocese.