Appointment of prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts

Episcopal appointment of president of the Pontifical Academy for Life

Resignation of bishop of Wote, Kenya

Erection of the diocese of Joypurhat, Bangladesh, and appointment of first bishop

Elevation to diocese of the apostolic vicariate of Calapan, Philippines, and appointment of first bishop

Appointment of bishop of Tagbilaran, Philippines

Appointment of member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches

Appointment of members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology

Appointment of prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Anthony Randazzo, until now bishop of Broken Bay, Australia, as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, at the same time conferring upon him the personal title of Archbishop.

Episcopal appointment of president of the Pontifical Academy for Life

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, as titular bishop of Gabi, conferring upon him the personal title of Archbishop.

Resignation of bishop of Wote, Kenya

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Wote, Kenya, presented by Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru.

Erection of the diocese of Joypurhat, Bangladesh, and appointment of first bishop

The Holy Father has erected the diocese of Joypurhat, Bangladesh, with territory taken from the diocese of Rajshahi and the diocese of Dinajpur, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Dhaka.

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Paul Gomes, of the clergy of the diocese of Rajshahi, until now rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary of Banani, Dhaka, as first bishop of the newly-erected diocese.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Paul Gomes was born on 3 September 1962 in Kharbaria, in the diocese of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. After studying philosophy and theology at Holy Spirit National Major Seminary in Banani, Dhaka, he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts at Notre Dame College in Dhaka.

He was ordained a priest on 29 December 1992 for the diocese of Rajshahi.

After ordination, he first held the offices of deputy parish priest at Presentation of the Lord in Surshunipara (1992–1994) and rector of the Intermediate Seminary of Dinajpur (1994-1998). He was awarded a master’s degree and licentiate in dogmatic theology at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, in the Philippines, and went on to serve as rector of Saint Joseph Degree Seminary in Ramna (2000–2002); deputy parish priest of Beneedwar (2000–2002); professor of dogmatic theology (2002-2009) and vice rector (2009-2010) of Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Banani, Dhaka. After obtaining a diploma psycho-spirituality at the Saint Anselm Institute in Kent, England, he held the roles of parish priest of Virgo Potens in Borni (2010–2016) and the Good Shepherd Cathedral in Rajshahi (2016–2021); vicar general and diocesan consultor of the diocese of Rajshahi (2016-2021); and since 2021, rector of the Holy Spirit Major Seminary in Banani, Dhaka.

Statistical data

The newly-erected dicoese of Joypurhat [Latin name Joypurhatina] was dismembered from the diocese of Rajshahi and the diocese of Dinajpur, and is a suffragan of the metropolitan archdiocese of Dhaka. The see of the diocese is in the city of Joypurhat. The Mary Help of Christians parish church in Khanjanpur will temporarily serve as the Cathedral of the new ecclesiastical circumscription; Saints Peter and Paul are designated as the patron saints of the same diocese.

Elevation to diocese of the apostolic vicariate of Calapan, Philippines, and appointment of first bishop

The Holy Father has elevated to a diocese the apostolic vicariate of Calapan, Philippines, retaining the same name and territorial configuration, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Lipa.

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Moises Magpantay Cuevas, until now vicar apostolic of Calapan, as first bishop of the diocese of Calapan, Philippines.

At the same time he has decreed that the aforementioned diocese shall pass to Common Law.

Statistical data

The diocese of Calapan is located in the eastern part of the island of Mindoro. It covers an area of 4,238.38 km² and has a population of 908,339, of whom 735,754 are Catholic. The diocese comprises 23 parishes, 32 educational institutions and one charitable institution. There are 63 diocesan priests, 17 religious priests and 62 religious sisters working there; there are 57 seminarians.

Appointment of bishop of Tagbilaran, Philippines

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Gerardo Fortich Saco, Jr., of the clergy of the diocese of Tagbilaran, Philippines, until now diocesan administrator, as bishop of the same diocese.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Gerardo Fortich Saco, Jr., was born on 16 October 1965 in Tagbilaran. He studied philosophy at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Tagbilaran City, and theology at the San Carlos Seminary of Cebu City.

He was ordained a priest on 26 April 1993, and incardinated in the diocese of Tagbilaran.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar at Saint Vincent Ferrer in Calape (1993–1997); parish priest at Santa Monica in Albuquerque (1997–2001); missionary in Libya (2001–2003); visiting priest at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport, New York (2003–2005); parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in Tagbilaran City (2005–2009); parish priest of Our Lady of the Assumption in Dauis (2009–2015); parish priest of Holy Cross in Maribojoc and episcopal vicar for the Laity (2015–2021); parish priest of Most Holy Trinity in Tagbilaran City and vicar forane (2021–2025); vicar general (2023–2025); and since 2025, diocesan administrator.

Appointment of member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches

The Holy Father has appointed His Beatitude Claudiu-Lucian Pop, major archbishop of Făgăraș and Alba Iulia of the Romanians, Romania, as a member of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches.

Appointment of members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology

The Holy Father has appointed the following as members of the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology: the distinguished Dr. Alfonsina Russo, director-general of the Ministry of Culture of the Italian Republic, and the distinguished Professors Lucrezia Spera, full professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology at the Department of Literary, Philosophy and Art History at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, and Francesca Romana Stasolla, full professor of Christian and Medieval Archaeology at the Department of Ancient Sciences at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.