Holy Father Pope Francis appointed new bishops in two dioceses of Indonesia and accepted the resignation of a bishop in India. The Pontiff appointed Father Christophorus Tri Harsono, the Vicar General of Bogor Diocese, as the new bishop of Purwokerto Diocese in central Java, Indonesia. His Holiness Pope Francis appointed Father Ewaldus Martinus Sedu the new bishop of the Diocese of Maumere in Flores island.
Fifty-two year old bishop-designate Fr. Harsono was born in Bogor on January 18, 1966 and ordained as a priest of Bogor on February 5, 1995. After attending the Stella Maris Minor Seminary of Bogor, he completed his philosophical and theological studies at the Catholic University of Bandung. He was ordained priest on February 5, 1995, for Bogor Diocese. For three years he was member of the Commissions for Interreligious Dialogue and for Seminaries of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI). In the Diocese of Bogor he also held the office of President of the Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue. Fr. Sedu, who has been the Vicar General of Maumere, takes over from his Bishop Gerulfus Kherubim Pereira SVD, who has stepped down having reached the canonical retirement age of 75 last year. He was ordained priest on 7 July 1991 for the Archdiocese of Ende. He was incardinated into the Diocese of Maumere when it was erected by Pope Benedict XVI on 14 December, 2005.
Also on July 14, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Antony Devotta of Tiruchirapalli in southern India’s Tamil Nadu state. His Excellency Bishop Devotta who reached the retirement age of 75 on June 30, was appointed Bishop of Tiruchirapally on November 16, 2000, by St. Pope John Paul II.
