The Holy Father has appointed:

Bishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungo, O.F.M. Cap., of Bokungu-Ikela and apostolic administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of Mbandaka-Bikoro, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as metropolitan archbishop of Mbandaka-Bikoro (area 95,000, population 1,201,000, Catholics 630,000, priests 86, religious 234), Democratic Republic of the Congo, and as apostolic administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the diocese of Bokungu-Ikela

Bishop Joseph Arshad of Faisalabad, Pakistan as apostolic administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, formerly president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, as member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints;

Fr. Antón Pazos, deputy director of the Institute of “Estudios Gallegos Padre Sarmiento, CSIC”, Spain, and Gaetano Lettieri, ordinary professor of History of Christianity and Churches at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy, as members of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.