Bulletins, Newsletters, and Flocknotes

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in São Tomé and Principe

Resignation of auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

 

Appointment of apostolic nuncio in São Tomé and Principe

The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Kryspin Dubiel, titular of Vannida, apostolic nuncio in Angola, as apostolic nuncio in São Tomé and Principe.

 

Resignation of auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented by Bishop Marko Semren, O.F.M.

This morning, the Holy Father Francis received in audience:

- Participants in the General Chapters of the following religious congregations:

  - Order of Minims;

  - Order of Clerics Regular Minor;

  - Clerics of Saint Viator;

  - Missionary Sisters of Saint Anthony Mary Claret;

  - Sisters of Reparation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus;

  - Augustinian Sisters of Divine Love.

At midday today, the Holy Father Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the approximately twelve thousand faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square.

The following are the Pope’s words of introduction to the Marian prayer:

 

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

Today the Gospel tells us about Jesus who sends His disciples on the mission (cf. Mk 6:7-13). He sends them “two by two”, and recommends something important: to take with them only what is necessary.

Let us pause a moment on this image: the disciples are sent together , and must take with them only what is necessary.

We do not proclaim the Gospel alone, no: it is proclaimed together, as a community, and to do this it is important to know how to preserve sobriety: to know how to be sober in the use of things, sharing resources, capacities and gifts, and doing without the superfluous. Why? In order to be free: the superfluous enslaves you, and also so that we all have what we need to live in a dignified way and to contribute actively to the mission; and then to be sober in thoughts, to be sober in feelings, abandoning our preconceived ideas and abandoning the inflexibility that, like pointless baggage, weigh us down and hinder the journey, fostering discussion and listening instead, and thus making witness more effective.

Let us think, for example, of what happens in our families and our communities: when we are content with what is necessary, even with little, with God’s help we are able to go forward and get along, sharing what there is, everyone renouncing something and supporting each other (cf. Acts 4:32-35). And this is already a missionary proclamation, before and even more than words, because it embodies the beauty of Jesus’ message in the tangibility of life. Indeed, a family or a community that lives in this way creates around it an environment rich in love, in which it is easier to open oneself to faith and the newness of the Gospel, and from which one starts out better, one starts out more serene.

If, on the other hand, everyone goes his or her way, if only material things count – which are never enough – if one does not listen, if individualism and envy prevail – envy is something lethal, a poison! – individualism and envy prevail, the air becomes heavy, life becomes difficult, and encounters become an occasion of restlessness, sadness and discouragement, rather than an occasion of joy (cf. Mt . 19:22).

Dear brothers and sisters, communion and sobriety are important values for our Christian life: communion, harmony among us, and sobriety are important values, indispensable values for a Church to be missionary at all levels.

We can ask ourselves, then: do I taste the pleasure of proclaiming the Gospel, of bringing, where I live, the joy and light that come from an encounter with the Lord? And in order to do this, do I commit myself to walking together with others, sharing ideas and skills with them, with an open mind and with a generous heart? And finally: do I know how to cultivate a lifestyle that is sober, a lifestyle that is attentive to the needs of my brothers and sisters? They are questions that it is good to ask ourselves.

May Mary, Queen of Apostles, help us to be true missionary disciples, in communion and sobriety of life. In communion, in harmony among us and in the sobriety of life.

____________________

 

After the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters!

I greet you, Romans and pilgrims from Italy and many countries. In particular, I greet the participants in the International Congress of laypeople of the Order of Saint Augustine; I greet the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, who are celebrating their General Chapter; I greet the young people of the parish of Luson, Alto Adige, who have travelled the Via Francigena; the Mediterranean Youth Council, who are inspired by the message of the Venerable Giorgio La Pira; and the young people participating in the international Course for formators of the Regnum Christi .

I send my greeting to the Polish faithful gathered at the Shrine of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, on the occasion of the annual pilgrimage of the Radio Maria family.

On Sea Sunday, let us pray for those who work in the maritime sector and for those who take care of them.

May the Mother of God, whom we celebrate the day after tomorrow as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, comfort and obtain peace for all populations who are oppressed by the horror of war. Please, let us not forget tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar.

I greet the young people of the Immacolata.

I wish you all a happy Sunday. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch, and arrivederci !

Appointment of bishop of Ban Mê Thuôt, Vietnam

Appointment of bishop of Tanjore, India

Appointment of coadjutor bishop of Hpa-An, Myanmar

Appointment of auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese of Bangalore, India

 

Appointment of bishop of Ban Mê Thuôt, Vietnam

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fr. John Baptist Nguyen Huy Bac, of the clergy of Ban Mê Thuôt, until now director of the Pastoral Centre and chair of the Regional Commission for Catechism of the ecclesiastical province of Hue, as bishop of the diocese of Ban Mê Thuôt, Vietnam.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. John Baptist Nguyen Huy Bac was born on 15 October 1967 in Ban Mê Thuôt. He carried out his studies in philosophy and theology at the Stella Maris Major Seminary of Nha Trang.

He was ordained a priest on 1 March 2000 for the clergy of Ban Mê Thuôt.

After ordination, he held the roles of parish vicar (2000-2003) and parish priest (2003-2010) of Phuoc Long. He was awarded a master’s degree in missiology from the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines (2010-2012) and a master’s degree in catechism from the Don Bosco Centre of Studies in Manila (2013-2014). He went on to serve as director of the Pastoral Centre and chair of the Commission for Catechism of the diocese of Ban Mê Thuôt (since 2014), and president of the Regional Commission for Catechism of the ecclesiastical province of Hue and vice-president of the Commission for Catechism of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam.

 

Appointment of bishop of Tanjore, India

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fr. Sagayaraj Thamburaj, of the clergy of Tiruchirappalli, until now professor at Saint Paul’s Seminary, as bishop of the diocese of Tanjore, India.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Sagayaraj Thamburaj was born on 14 March 1969 in Ayyampatty, in the diocese of Tiruchirappalli. He studied philosophy and theology at the Sacred Heart Seminary in Poonamalle, Chennai, and was ordained a priest on 17 April 1996. He was awarded a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Madras, a master’s degree from Madurai Kamaraj University, and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Madras.

He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Tiruchirappalli (1996-1997); parish priest in Marianthapuram (1997-2004); secretary of diocesan bodies of the presbyteral Senate (2001-2007), the SC/ST Commission (2004-2009) and the diocesan Synod (2005-2007); director of the Pastoral Centre and coordinator of the diocesan Commissions (2007-2012); parish priest in Manaparai (2012); rector and parish priest of Saint Mary’s Cathedral and visiting professor of the major seminary of Chennai and Tiruchirappalli (2017-2023); and since 2023, professor at Saint Paul’s Seminary in Tiruchirappalli.

 

Appointment of coadjutor bishop of Hpa-An, Myanmar

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend Fr. Stanislaus Min Ko, of the clergy of Hpa-An, Myanmar, until now parish priest of the Christ King Catholic Church and director of the diocesan Liturgical Commission, as coadjutor bishop of the same diocese of Hpa-An.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. Stanislaus Min Ko was born on 1 February 1873 in Okpo Township, Myanmar. He studied philosophy at Saint Joseph’s Major Seminary of the archdiocese of Mandalay, and theology at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Major Seminary of the archdiocese of Yangon.

He was ordained a priest on 20 December 2003 for the clergy of Yangon; with the creation of the diocese of Hpa-An, taken from the archdiocese of Yangon, he was incardinated in 2009 in the same diocese.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of Saint Francis Xavier’s Catholic Church , Hpa-An (2004-2007); parish vicar (2007) and parish priest (2007-2008) of Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church , Nyaungdon; parish priest of Saint Thomas’ Catholic Church , Myawaddy (2008-2013); parish priest of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church , Theinseik (2017-2018); and since 2023, parish priest of Christ King Catholic Church , Tha-Ton, and director of the diocesan Liturgical Commission.

 

Appointment of auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese of Bangalore, India

The Holy Father has appointed the following as auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese of Bangalore, India, from the clergy of the same metropolitan See: the Reverend Fr. Arokia Raj Satis Kumar , until now diocesan chancellor, assigning him the titular See of Castellum minus; and the Reverend Fr. Joseph Soosainathan , until now parish priest of Sacred Heart , assigning him the titular See of Castra Galbae.

Curriculum vitae of Msgr. Arokia Raj Satis Kumar

Msgr. Arokia Raj Satis Kumar was born on 5 September 1977 in Bangalore. He studied philosophy and theology at Saint Joseph’s Seminary , in the diocese of Mangalore, and was ordained a priest on 2 May 2007 for the archdiocese of Bangalore.

After ordination, he first served as deputy parish priest of Saint Joseph , Saint Francis Xavier’s Cathedral and Christ the King in Malleswaram (2007-2010). He was awarded a licentiate from Saint Peter’s Pontifical Institute in Bangalore (2010-2012). After serving as parish priest of Christ the King in Malleswaram (2012-2014), he obtained a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome (2014-2017). He went on to hold the offices of judge of the ecclesiastical tribunal (since 2017), rector of Bhavan Bhakti Minor Seminary and parish administrator of Lourdes in Tumkur (since 2018), diocesan chancellor (since 2019), professor of canon law at Saint Peter’s Pontifical Institute in Bangalore (2020), and coordinator of studies of major seminarians (since 2021).

 

Curriculum vitae of Msgr. Joseph Soosainathan

Msgr. Joseph Soosainathan was born on 14 May 1964 in Bangalore. He studied philosophy at Saint Peter’s Pontifical Seminary and theology at Saint Paul’s Seminary in the diocese of Tiruchirappalli.

He was ordained a priest on 15 May 1990 for the archdiocese of Bangalore.

He has held the following offices: deputy parish priest of Saint Joseph and Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral (1990-1991), parish priest of Saint Anne (1991-1997), Saint John Evangelist (1997-2004), Our Lady of Fatima (2004-2010 and 2017-2020), Saints Peter and Paul (2010-2017) and Sacred Heart (since 2020).

On 18 May 2024, the Holy Father Francis appointed His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin as Papal Legate for the concluding celebration of the pilgrimage of Ukrainian Catholics of Latin rite in the Marian shrine of Berdychiv, to take place on 21 July 2024.

The Papal Legate will be accompanied by a Mission composed of the following ecclesiastics:

1. The Reverend Don Ruslan MYKHALKIV, rector of the seminary of the diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomir;

2. The Reverend Don Andriy LEHOVICH, secretary to the metropolitan archbishop of Lviv of the Latins.

The following is the Holy Father’s Letter to the Papal Legate:

 

Letter

Venerabili Fratri Nostro PETRO S.R.E. Cardinali PAROLIN Secretario Status

Ad Sanctuarium in oppido Berdychiv, quod anno MMXI statum obtinuit sanctuarii nationalis quodque sodales Ordinis Fratrum Discalceatorum B. Mariae V. de Monte Carmelo pie actuoseque administrant, abhinc quattuor circiter saecula e variis Ucrainae regionibus fideles catholici ritus Latini atque e finitimis locis multi devoti agmine facto accurrunt. Ad Matris Dei veneratam imaginem depictam ibidem ex dignitate decoreque custoditam spectantes, fiducialiter iter suscipiunt peregrinantes maxime hoc funesto ac tristissimo tempore ob furorem bellicum, ut a suavissima Maria Virgine una voce optatissimum pacis donum exposcant. Rectissime cotidie Deiparam invocant, quae apud omnium bonorum Largitorem libenter intercedit. Ipsa vero per omnes generationes sua admirabili humilitate in mundo et in Ecclesia extat magistra incomparabilis pacis.

Cum interea proximo mense Iulio claudetur consueta Peregrinatio fidelium catholicorum ritus Latini ad memoratum Sanctuarium, Venerabiles Fratres Conferentiae Episcopalis Ucrainae, per Venerabilem Fratrem Visvaldas Kulbokas, Archiepiscopum titulo Martanaënsem, Nuntium Apostolicum in Ucraina, humanissime rogaverunt ut Nos quendam eximium Purpuratum designaremus qui celebrationi Peregrinationis claudendae Nostro nomine praeesset atque verba spiritalis cohortationis pronuntiaret.

Piae huic postulationi adnuere volentes, ad Te, Venerabilis Frater Noster, decurrimus qui munus Secretarii Status sapienter exerces, singulare Nobis in exercendo Petrino ministerio auxilium praebens atque, oblata occasione, impiger es ad fidelium bonum patrandum. Te igitur hisce Litteris LEGATUM NOSTRUM nominamus ad celebrationem de qua supra diximus, quae die XXI advenientis mensis Iulii in dicto Sanctuario in oppido Berdychiv sollemni ritu agetur. Omnes huius eventus participes adhortaberis ut sine intermissione fervidis precibus implorent Reginam pacis ad bellum dissolvendum in Ucraina ac in omnibus mundi locis atque exemplum Benedictae inter mulieres sibi ad imitandum proponant, quippe quae gratissima sit Deo superbos disperdenti humilesque exaltanti (cfr  Lc  1, 51-52).

Venerabiles Fratres Conferentiae Episcopalis Ucrainae, cunctos fideles ibi congregatos, sacros Praesules, sacerdotes, religiosos viros mulieresque, publicas auctoritates et christifideles laicos, Nostro salutabis nomine Nostramque iis ostendens benevolentiam et proximitatem hoc perdifficili pro toto populo dilectae Ucrainae tempore.

Nosmet Ipsi Te, Venerabilis Frater Noster, in tua insigni missione implenda precibus comitabimur, suavissima Christi Matre intercedente, Tibique Benedictionem libentes iam nunc impertimur, signum Nostrae erga Te benevolentiae et caelestium donorum pignus, quam omnibus celebrationis participibus rite transmittas volumus.

Datum Romae, Laterani, die XXIV mensis Iunii, in sollemnitate Nativitatis s. Ioannis Baptistae, anno MMXXIV, Pontificatus Nostri duodecimo.

FRANCISCUS