Resignation of bishop of Hvar, Croatia, and appointment of successor
Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Suriname
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Bordeaux, France
Resignation of bishop of Hvar, Croatia, and appointment of successor
The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Hvar, Croatia, presented by H.E. Msgr. Slobodan Štambuk.
The Pope has appointed as bishop of Hvar, Croatia, the Rev. Petar Palić, of the clergy of the diocese of Dubrovnik, secretary general of the Croatian Episcopal Conference.
Rev. Petar Palić
The Rev. Petar Palić, originally from Janjevo – the oldest Croatian diaspora in Kosovo – was born on 3 July 1972 in Prishtina. After elementary school, he carried out his classical studies at the minor seminary in Skopje (1986-1988) and at the seminary of Subotica (1988-1990). He then studied at the Faculty of Theology of Zagreb (1990-1995) where he obtained a baccalaureate in theology. From 2005 to 2009 he studied at the Faculty of Theology of the Karl-Franzens University in Graz, Austria, where in 2009 he obtained a doctorate in moral theology.
He was ordained a priest on 1 June 1996, and was incardinated in the diocese of Dubrovnik. Since priestly ordination he has held the following offices: director of the diocesan Catechetical Office (1996-2005); special secretary to the bishop of Dubrovnik (1998-2005); director of the diocesan Office for the Support of the Clergy (from 1997-2017); distributor of the parish of Dobl in the diocese of Graz-Seckau (2005-2008); and episcopal vicar for pastoral ministry (2009-2011). From 2011 to 2017 he served as vicar general of the diocese of Dubrovnik. In addition, he was a member of the Presbyteral Council and of the College of Consultors of the diocese of Dubrovnik, as well as member of the Council of the Episcopal Conference for Catechesis and New Evangelization.
In 2003 he was president of the Central Committee for the preparation of the visit of the Holy Father John Paul II to Dubrovnik and president of the Committee for the preparation of the National Meeting of Croatian Youth in Dubrovnik in 2014.
On 25 January 2017 he was elected as secretary general of the Croatian Episcopal Conference. In addition to Croatian, he speaks German and Italian, and uses English, Russian and Macedonian.
Appointment of apostolic nuncio in Suriname
The Holy Father has appointed as apostolic nuncio in Suriname His Excellency Msgr. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, titular archbishop of Acquaviva, apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Santa Lucia, Grenada, and the Bahamas, and apostolic delegate in the Antilles.
Appointment of auxiliary bishop of Bordeaux, France
The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Msgr. Jean-Marie Le Vert as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Bordeaux, France, assigning him the titular see of Briançonnet. Msgr. Le Vert is currently bishop emeritus of Quimper et Léon.
H.E. Msgr. Jean-Marie Le Vert
H.E. Msgr. Jean-Marie Le Vert was born on 9 April 1959 in Papeete, Tahiti. After studying higher mathematics and special mathematics at the Sainte-Geneviève School of Versailles, he attended the Naval School in Brest (1979-1981) and the School of Application of Naval Officers (1982), obtaining diplomas as Engineer of the Naval School and as Naval Officer. He then entered the San Martino Community and began his theological studies at the major seminary of Genoa, Italy. In 1995 he obtained a licentiate in theology in Fribourg, Switzerland.
He was ordained a priest on 10 October 1987 for the Comunità San Martino and then in 1995 he was incardinated in the archdiocese of Tours.
Since ordination he has held the following ministerial posts: head of the Training House of the San Martino Community in Genoa (1987-1990); deputy parish priest of the united parishes of Tours (1990-1994); parish priest of Saint-Jean-de-Montjoyeux in Tours, accompanying student groups (1995-1997); professor of patrology and pastoral theology at the Interdiocesan Seminary of Orléans (1997-2000); pastor of the parish of Les Fontaines in Tours (1998-2000); professor of pastoral theology and Christian mystery in the Interdiocesan Seminary of Orléans, diocesan and regional chaplain for students and diocesan head of formation for the ministries and of the diocesan Vocations Service (2000-2005). In addition, from 2001 to 2005 he was appointed as priest accompanying the pastoral care of young adults, and has served as head of the House of Vocations of the archdiocese of Tours from 2003 to 2005, and president of the National Catholic Student Mission in 2002-2003.
He was elected as titular bishop of Simidicca and appointed as auxiliary of Meaux on 21 November 2005, he received episcopal ordination on 8 January. On 7 December 2007, he was transferred to the see of Quimper et Léon. He resigned from this office on 22 January 2015.
