Vatican City, 15 July 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

 

- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Passo Fundo, Brazil, presented by Archbishop Antonio Carlos Altieri, S.D.B., in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

 

- appointed Fr. Dominicus Meier. O.S.B., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Paderborn (area 14,750, population 4,900,000, Catholics 1,581,343, priests 1,008, permanent deacons 173, religious 1,647), Germany. The bishop-elect was born in 1959 in Heggen, and was ordained a priest in 1989. He holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Salzburg, as well as a licentiate and professional diploma in canon law from the University of Munster. He has served as ordinary professor of canon law at the Philosophical-Theological High School of the Pallottines in Vallendar, judge at the diocesan tribunal of Salzburg and defender of the bond and promoter of justice at the tribunal of the archdiocese of Paderborn. He was elected abbot of the abbey of Konigsmunster at Meschede in 2001, for a twelve-year mandate. He is currently judicial vicar of the archdiocese of Paderborn. He succeeds Bishop Manfred Grothe, whose resignation from the office of auxiliary of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

 

- appointed Fr. Laurent Camiade as bishop of Cahors (area 5,216, population 395,000, Catholics 170,700, priests 66, permanent deacons 8, religious 96), France. The bishop-elect was born in Agen, France in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He holds a degree in philosophy and a doctorate in theology from the Institut Catholique de Toulouse, and has served as parish vicar, diocesan director of youth pastoral ministry, and parish priest. He is currently vicar general of the diocese of Agen and parish priest of Laverdac, and teaches spiritual theology at the Institut Catholique de Toulouse.

 

- appointed Fr. Udo Bentz as auxiliary of the diocese of Mainz (area 7,692, population 2,891,000, Catholics 749,583, priests 504, permanent deacons 124, religious 447), Germany. The bishop-elect was born in 1967 in Rulzheim, Germany and was ordained a priest in 1995. He holds a doctorate in theology from the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, and has served as parish vicar in the Cathedral of Worms and special secretary to Cardinal Karl Lehmann. He is currently rector of the major seminary of Mainz and president of the Conference of rectors of German major seminaries.