Vatican City, 20 July 2016 – The Holy Father has:

- erected the diocese of Votuporanga (area 7,694, population 230,000, Catholics 172,500, priests 42, religious 40), Brazil, with territory taken from the dioceses of São José do Rio Preto and Jales, making it a suffragan of the archdiocese of Ribeirão Preto.

- appointed Fr. Moacir Aparecido de Freitas as bishop of the new diocese of Votuporanga, Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in Catanduva, Brazil in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1987. He studied philosophy at the Salesian Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters in Lorena and theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas. He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including parish vicar, parish priest, episcopal vicar, diocesan assessor for catechesis, diocesan and regional coordinator of the school of theology for the laity, and member of the presbyteral council and the pastoral council. He is currently pastor of the parish of St. Theresa at Ibitinga, and spiritual director at the major seminary of theology.