JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, JUNE 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has raised the South African diocese of Johannesburg to the status of an archdiocese.
The Tuesday announcement included notice that the Pope appointed Archbishop Buti Tlhagale the first metropolitan archbishop.
Johannesburg is a capital city that would normally have the status of archdiocese. Its elevation, however, was delayed until demarcation issues were almost finalized in South Africa.
Archbishop Tlhagale, formerly the metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bloemfontein, is from Randfontein, South Africa, and has been bishop of Johannesburg since 2003.
The 59-year-old archbishop, also president of the Southern African Catholic bishops' conference, will assume immediate responsibility for the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. The suffragan dioceses are Manzini, in Swaziland, Klerksdorp and Witbank.
Changes have also been made to the Archdiocese of Pretoria, whose suffragan dioceses now include Tzaneen, Pietersburg, Rustenburg, and Gaborone, Botswana, and the Vicariate of Francistown, Botswana.
The Archdiocese of Bloemfontein will now include the dioceses of Bethlehem, Keimoes-Upington, Kimberley and Kroonstad.
ZE07060706 - 2007-06-07
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-19817?l=english
Johannesburg Raised to Archdiocesan Status
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