Pope Francis Makes Appointments for Buenos Aires, Rome, and Porto Dioceses

(Vatican News Network)Shortly after being elected Successor of Peter in 2013, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Mario Aurelio Poli as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, to succeed him. In February 2014, the Pope promoted Archbishop Poli to the rank of Cardinal. Ten years later, Cardinal Poli, now 75 years old, resigned from the pastoral leadership of the archdiocese. On May 26, the Pope appointed Bishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva of the Diocese of Río Gallegos as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, succeeding Cardinal Poli.

Archbishop García, 55, was ordained a priest in 1997 and received a master’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. He later obtained a degree as a lawyer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Salta, Argentina. Fr. García held various positions, including serving as chaplain in different prisons in the province of Buenos Aires. In 2017, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of the diocese of Lomas de Zamora. In 2019, he was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Río Gallegos. He is currently a member of the Congregation for Episcopal Congregations and Vice-President of the International Prison Pastoral Commission.

Pope Francis also appointed the 60-year-old priest Michele Di Tolve of the Archdiocese of Milan as auxiliary bishop of Rome on May 26. Before this new appointment, Father Di Torve was parish priest of the Church of St. John the Baptist and of St. Ambrose in Milan, where, among his many duties, he also served as Director of the Catholic Religious Educational Service and the Pastoral Service of the Schools. principal. In 2014 he was appointed Rector of the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Milan.

The Pope accepted the resignation of the auxiliary bishop of Porto, Portugal, Pio Gonçalo Alves de Sousa, and appointed two new auxiliary bishops for the diocese on May 26. One is Father Roberto Rosmaninho Mariz, 49 years old, priest of the archdiocese of the province of Braga in Portugal. Before his ordination, he was parish priest of the Church of St. Joseph in San Lazaro. Another new auxiliary bishop is Fr. Joaquim Proença Dionísio, 54, priest of the Diocese of Lamego in Portugal. parish priest.

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