Resignation and succession of archbishop of Mérida, Venezuela

Erection of diocese of Araguaína, Brazil, and appointment of first bishop

Appointment of bishop of Poreč i Pula, Croatia

Appointment of military ordinary of Ecuador

Appointment of under-secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

Resignation and succession of archbishop of Mérida, Venezuela

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Mérida, Venezuela, presented by His Eminence Cardinal Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo.

He is succeeded by Archbishop Helizandro Terán Bermúdez, O.S.A., hitherto coadjutor archbishop of the same metropolitan archdiocese.

Erection of diocese of Araguaína, Brazil, and appointment of first bishop

The Holy Father has erected the diocese of Araguaína, Brazil, with territory taken from the diocese of Tocantinópolis and Miracema do Tocantins, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Palmas.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Giovane Pereira de Melo, until now bishop of Tocantinópolis, as the first bishop of the diocese of Araguaína, Brazil.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Giovane Pereira de Melo was born on 16 January 1959 in Salinas, in the archdiocese of Montes Claro, State of Minas Gerais. After completing his seminary studies in Campo Grande-MS, attending the course in philosophy at the Universidade Católica Dom Bosco and theology at the local theological institute, he was awarded a licentiate in pastoral theology from the Nossa Senhora da Assunção Pontifical Faculty in São Paulo-SP.

On 24 March 1990 he received priestly ordination and was incardinated in the diocese of Rondonópolis.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Bom Pastor in Rondonópolis-MT and of Sant’Ana in Chapada do Guimarães-MS; diocesan pastoral coordinator; parish priest of Nossa Senhora Aparecida in Rondonópolis-MT; rector of the Jesus Bom Pastor Major Seminary; member of the Presbyteral Council and the College of Consultors; representative of priests and coordinator of the vocational service of the Regionale Oeste 2 of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil.

On 3 March 2009 he was appointed bishop of Tocantinópolis, receiving episcopal ordination the following 8 May.

Within the Brazilian Episcopal Conference, he is chair of the Episcopal Pastoral Commission for the Laity and member of the Economic Council.

Statistical Data

The territory of the new diocese of Araguaína is made up of the following civil municipalities: Aragominas-TO, Araguaína-TO, Araguanã-TO, Arapoema-TO, Babaçulândia-TO, Bandeirantes do Tocantins-TO, Barra do Ouro-TO, Campos Lindos-TO, Carmolândia-TO, Filadélfia-TO, Goiatins-TO, Muricilândia-TO, Nova Olinda do Tocantins-TO, Palmeirante-TO, Pau d’Arco-TO, Piraquê-TO, Santa Fé do Araguaia-TO, Xambioá-TO, and Wanderlândia-TO.

1. The statistical data of the new diocese of Araguaína are as follows:

2. The statistical data of the diocese of Tocantinópolis following dismemberment are as follows:

3. I dati statistici della Diocesi di Miracema do Tocantins dopo la dismembrazione sono i seguenti:

Appointment of bishop of Poreč i Pula, Croatia

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Ivan Štironja as bishop of Poreč i Pula, Croatia, transferring him from the diocese of Kotor, Montenegro.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Ivan Štironja wasborn on 10 May 1960 in Pješivac, in the diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan. He attended the minor seminary of Dubrovnik and the major seminary of the metropolitan archdiocese of Vrhbosna in Sarajevo.

He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan on 29 June 1986.

After ordination, he first served as parish vicar in Dračevo (1986-1987); and parish priest of Kaning’ombe in Tanzania (1988-1992), and Oakville in Canada (1993-1996). He then studied liturgy at the Pastoral Liturgy Institute in Padua (1996-1998), after which he held the offices of parish priest of the Cathedral, diocesan director for missions (1999-2011) and episcopal vicar for pastoral ministry in Mostar (2002-2011); national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (2011-2016); parish priest in Studenci and rector of the diocesan Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (2016-2020).

On 22 December 2020 he was appointed as bishop of Kotor, Montenegro, and received episcopal ordination on 7 April 2021.

Appointment of military ordinary of Ecuador

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend José Miguel Asimbaya Moreno, of the clergy of the archdiocese of Quito, Ecuador, as chancellor, canon and parish priest of the Cathedral.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. José Miguel Asimbaya Moreno was born on 31 October 1959. He attended the San José Major Seminary of Quito and completed his studies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

He was ordained a priest on 23 November 1989 and incardinated in the archdiocese of Quito.

He was awarded a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He has held the following offices: parish priest of San Martín de Porres, San José Obrero, Immaculada Concepción and San Isidro de El Inca; chaplain of the college and of the religious community of the Sisters of Saint Francis de Sales; territorial episcopal vicar of fifty parishes in the north of Quito.

For two years he served as parish priest of El Sacrario, in the Cathedral of Quito and as canon of the Cathedral.

In 2019 he was appointed administrative vicar and in 2020, chancellor of the archdiocese. He is a member of the Council for Economic Affairs and of the Council for the Orders.

Appointment of under-secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Msgr. Krzysztof Marcjanowicz, hitherto official of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for fundamental questions of evangelization in the world, and Papal Master of Ceremonies, as under-secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.