Assent to the appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bosra and Hauran, Syria

Assent to the appointment of archbishop of Mosul, Iraq

Assent to the appointment of auxiliary bishop of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Baghdad

Appointment of bishop of Vinh, Vietnam

Creation of the diocese of Ha Tinh, Vietnam, and appointment of first bishop

Appointment of coadjutor bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Netherlands

Elevation of the apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malabar faithful in Canada to the rank of eparchy and appointment of the first eparchial bishop of Mississauga of the Syro-Malabars

Transfer of the archbishop of Teheran of the Chaldeans to the archiepiscopal see of Diarbeki

Appointment of member of the Congregation for Bishops

Assent to the appointment of metropolitan archbishop of Bosra and Hauran, Syria

The Holy Father has assented to the appointment of the Rev. Archimandrite Elias El-Debei, canonically elected by the Synod of Bishops of the Greek-Melkite Patriarchal Church, to the office of metropolitan archbishop of Bosra and Hauran, Syria.

H.E. Msgr. Elias El-Debei

H.E. Msgr. Elias El-Debei was born in Damascus, Syria on 27 September 1970. He obtained a licentiate in applied sciences at the University of Damascus and subsequently attended courses in philosophy and theology at the Saint Paul Institute in Harissa, Lebanon. After being ordained a priest for the archieparchy of Damascus in 1998, he served for ten years as parish priest of Saint Elias in Maarat Saydnaya; from 2008 to 2010, parish priest of Our Lady of Peace in Harasta; from 2011 to 2015 parish priest of the Greek-Melkite of Damascus. He also covered the offices of judge of the patriarchal tribunal, and protosyncellus. In March 2018 he was appointed as patriarchal administrator of the metropolitan archieparchy of Bosra and Hauran, Syria.

Assent to the appointment of archbishop of Mosul, Iraq

The Holy Father has assented to the appointment of the Rev. Fr. Najib Mikhael Moussa, O.P., canonically elected by the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church, to the office of archbishop of Mosul, Iraq.

Rev. Fr. Najib Mikhael Moussa, O.P.

The Rev. Fr. Najib Mikhael Moussa, O.P., was born in Mosul, Iraq on 9 September 1955. He carried out his civil studies in the field of the oil industry.

He entered the Order of Preachers, carried out his novitiate in France and gave his vows on 4 October 1981.

He obtained a postgraduate diploma (DESU) in practical theology and communication, and then a master’s degree and higher diploma in Catholic theology (DSTC).

He was ordained a priest on 16 May 1987 and then returned to Mosul, where he served as conventual archivist from 1 January 1988.

Since 9 September he has served as director and founder of the Digital Centre for Oriental Manuscripts of Mosul (CNMO).

He was a member of the ecumenical Commission of bishops of Nineveh for several years starting from 10 March 2001.

He was a professor of pastoral theology and communication at the Babel College (Chaldean Seminary), first in Baghdad and then in Erbil.

Fr. Najib spent several months in the United States of America to continue his formation, then returned to Ankawa, the Christian quarter of Erbil.

He was of great assistance to the displaced people of Mosul and the Nineveh plain during the tragedy of the persecution of Christians by ISIS.

He speaks Arabic, Syriac, French and English.

Assent to the appointment of auxiliary bishop of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Baghdad

The Holy Father has assented to the appointment of the Rev. Robert Jarjis, canonically elected by the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church, to the office of auxiliary bishop of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Baghdad, and assigned the titular see of Arsamosata.

Rev. Robert Jarjis

The Rev. Robert Jarjis was born in Baghdad on 23 October 1973. He studied veterinary medicine at the University of Baghdad, obtaining a licentiate and a master’s degree. He entered the patriarchal seminary of Baghdad and studied at Babel College. He was then sent to the Urban College of Rome, as a seminarian, to continue his education at the Pontifical Urban University. He was ordained a priest in Rome on 27 April 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.

He then studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, obtaining a licentiate in biblical theology in 2001. He returned to Baghdad and was parish priest for seven years in the parish of Saint Mary of the Assumption in the district of Mansour in the capital. He has for some months served as parish priest of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph; and has been a local collaborator of the Apostolic Nunciature for a number of years.

He speaks Arabic, Italian and Syriac, and knows English.

Appointment of bishop of Vinh, Vietnam

The Holy Father has appointed H.E. Msgr. Alphonse Huu Long, P.S.S., currently auxiliary bishop of Hung Hoá, as bishop of Vinh, Vietnam.

Creation of the diocese of Ha Tinh, Vietnam, and appointment of first bishop

The Holy Father has created the new diocese of Ha Tinh, Vietnam, with the dismemberment of the diocese of Vinh, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Hà Nôi.

The Pope has appointed H.E. Msgr. Paul Nguyên Thái Hop, O.P., currently bishop of Vinh, as the first bishop of Ha Tinh.

The newly-erected diocese of Ha Tinh [Latin name Hatinhen (sis)] is situated in the northern region of the country, and comprises two civil provinces, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. The new ecclesiastical circumscription will be dedicated to Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. The diocese will be a suffragan of the ecclesiastical province of Hà Nôi.

Statistical data

Appointment of coadjutor bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Holy Father has appointed as coadjutor bishop of Haarlem-Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, H.E. Msgr. Johannes Willibrordus Maria Hendriks, transferring him from the episcopal see of Arsacal and from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam.

H.E. Msgr. Johannes Willibrordus Maria Hendriks

H.E. Msgr. Johannes Willibrordus Maria Hendriks was born on 17 November 1954 in Leidschendam, diocese of Rotterdam.

He completed his philosophical-theological studies at the Higher Institute of Theology in Amsterdam and at the major seminary of the diocese of Roermond in Rolduc.

He was ordained a priest on 29 September 1979 for the diocese of Rotterdam. From 1979 to 1981 he was deputy parish priest in Den Haag. He then continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University, obtaining a doctorate in canon law.

From 1987 to 1997 he served as parish priest in Haastrecht. In 1997 he was appointed as vice rector and in 1998 rector of the major seminary of the diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, where he also taught canon law. He was later appointed as canon of the Cathedral Chapter.

On 25 October 2011 he was appointed as auxiliary of Haarlem-Amsterdam, receiving episcopal consecration on 10 December.

At the Roman Curia the prelate serves as member of the Apostolic Signatura and consultor of the Congregation for the Clergy.

Elevation of the apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malabar faithful in Canada to the rank of eparchy and appointment of the first eparchial bishop of Mississauga of the Syro-Malabars

Pope Francis has elevated the apostolic exarchate for Syro-Malabar faithful in Canada to the rank of eparchy, under the name of “Mississauga”, maintaining the same territorial configuration, and appointed as first eparchial bishop H.E. Msgr. Jose Kalluvelil, currently apostolic exarch, transferring him from the titular see of Tabalta to the new eparchy of Mississauga of the Syro-Malabars.

H.E. Msgr. Jose Kalluvelil

H.E. Msgr. Jose Kalluvelil was born on 15 November 1955 in Thottuva, in the eparchy of Palai, India. He was ordained a priest for the eparchy of Palghat on 18 December 1984, and subsequently served in several parishes, including Saint Raphael’s Cathedral, Palakkad. He also held the position of director of the residences for young people and, after obtaining his doctorate in catechetical theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, he was appointed as eparchial director of catechesis. In 2013 he transferred to Toronto to serve as chaplain of the Siro-Malabarese faithful.

On 6 August 2015, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed him as first apostolic exarch for the Syro-Malabar faithful living in Canada, elevating him to the dignity of bishop and assigning him the titular see of Tabalta. In addition to Malayalam and English, he speaks Italian and German.

Informative note

The eparchy of Mississauga of the Syro-Malabars

Mississauga, the see of the new circumscription, is a city in the metropolitan area of Toronto, but the territory of the new eparchy includes the entire country of Canada, where the Syro-Malabar population has reached around 20,000 faithful. Pastoral governance is organized in 12 parishes and 34 missions. In these there are 23 priests, secular and religious, with 7 seminarians in formation for the new eparchy. There are also 12 women religious who carry out pastoral activity.

The Cathedral of Saint Alphonsa and the eparchial Curia are located at 6630 Turner Valley Road, Mississauga, Ontario. The eparchy is immediately subject to the Apostolic See.

Transfer of the archbishop of Teheran of the Chaldeans to the archiepiscopal see of Diarbeki

His Beatitude Cardinal Louis Raphaël, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, with the consent of the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church and informing the Apostolic See, has transferred H.E. Msgr. Ramzi Garmou, archbishop of Tehran of the Chaldeans, to the archiepiscopal see of Diarbekir of the Chaldeans, Turkey.

H.E. Msgr. Ramzi Garmou

H.E. Msgr. Ramzi Garmou was born on 5 February 1945 in Zākhō, Iraq. He entered the seminary of the Dominican Fathers in Mosul and continued his studies at the Institute of the Prado in France.

He was ordained a priest on 13 January 1977, initiating his ministry in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baghdad. He was then sent to Teheran, where he continued his pastoral service.

On 5 May 1995 he was elected coadjutor of Tehran of the Chaldeans and received episcopal ordination on 25 February 1996. He became archbishop of the same archieparchy on 7 February 1999.

From 20 July 2013 until 19 November 2016 he held the office of Apostolic Visitator for the Chaldean faithful resident in Europe.

He speaks Chaldean, Arabic, Persian and French.

Appointment of member of the Congregation for Bishops

The Pope has appointed H.E. Msgr. Michel Aupetit, archbishop of Paris, as member of the Congregation for Bishops.