Vatican City, Jan 31, 2015 / 11:32 am
The Vatican has confirmed the participation of 48 delegates chosen by bishops' conferences to take part in this year's Synod on the Family.
Included on the list are all those elected by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, the US' largest archdiocese, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, where the upcoming World Meeting of Families will be held, will be among those taking part in October's gathering, according to the Vatican document.
Other US delegates included are Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president and vice president, respectively.
Released Jan. 31, this is the first of several documents listing the delegates elected by the various bishops' conferences around the world who have been approved by the Vatican.
Delegates listed in the announcement included 7 from Africa; 3 from Asia; 3 from Oceana; 17 from Europe; and 10 from Central and South America.
Not every bishops' conference was represented in Saturday's list, as some still need to hold their general assemblies where they will select their candidates and substitutes before sending the names to the Vatican for approval. These subsequent ratifications will be announced at a later time.
Around 190 prelates worldwide participated in the 2014 Synod on the Family.
The names of other participants, such as auditors, experts and papal nominees, will also released at a later date in the lead up to the Synod on the Family.
This year's Synod on the Family, to be held on Oct. 4-25, will be the second and larger of two such gatherings to take place in the course of a year. Like its 2014 precursor, the focus of the 2015 Synod of Bishops will be the family, this time with the theme: "The vocation and mission of the family in the church and the modern world."
The list also confirmed the participation of alternates, Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, head of the USCCB's defense and promotion of marriage subcommittee.
A preparatory document for the Synod on the Family, formally known as the Lineamenta, was sent to bishops' conference in Dec. 2014.
The list of all 48 elected delegates is included below:
A F R I C A
Burundi
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Delegate: Bishop Gervais BASHIMIYUBUSA, Bishop of Ngozi, president of the bishops' conference.
Alternate: Bishop Joachim NTAHONDEREYE, Bishop Muyinga.
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Delegate: Bishop Tsegaye Keneni DERERA, Apostolic Vicar of Soddo, titular bishop of
Maximiana of Byzacena.
Alternate: Bishop Markos GEBREMEDHIN, C.M., Titular bishop of Gummi in Proconsolari, Apostolic Vicar of JimmaBonga (Ethiopia).
Ghana
Delegate: Archbishop of Gabriel Charles PALMERBUCKLE, Archbishop of Accra.
Alternate: Bishop Anthony Kwami ADANUTY, bishop of KetaAkatsi.
Kenya
Delegate: Cardinal John NJUE, Archbishop of Nairobi, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Bishop James Maria WAINAINA KUNGU, bishop of Muranga.
Alternate: Bishop Emanuel BARBARA, O.F.M. Cap., bishop of Malindi.
Madagascar
Delegate: Archbishop Désiré TSARAHAZANA, bishop di Toamasina, president of the bishops' conference.
Alternate: Jean de Dieu RAOELISON, titular bishop of Corniculana, auxiliary of Antananarivo.
Rwanda
Delegate: Bishop Antoine KAMBANDA, bishop of Kibungo.
Alternate: Bishop Smaragde MBONYINTEGE, bishop of Kabgayi, president of the bishops' conference.
THE AMERICAS
Argentina
Delegate: Bishop Pedro María LAXAGUE, titular bishop of Castra s\Severiana, and auxiliary of Bahía Blanca.
Delegate: Archbishop José María ARANCEDO, Archbishop of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Cardinal Mario Aurelio POLI, archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Alternate: Archbishop Andrés STANOVNIK, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Corrientes.
Alternate: Héctor Rubén AGUER, Archbishop of La Plata.
Chile
Delegate: Bishop Bernardo Miguel BASTRES FLORENCE, S.D.B., bishop of Punta Arenas.
Delegate: Cardinal Ricardo EZZATI ANDRELLO, S.D.B., archbishop of Santiago de Chile, president of the bishops' conference.
Alternate: Bishop Cristián CONTRERAS VILLARROEL, bishop of Melipilla, secretary general of the bishops' conference.
Cuba
Delegate: Archbishop Juan de la Caridad GARCÍA RODRÍGUEZ, archbishop of Camagüey.
Alternate: Bishop Marcelo Arturo GONZÁLEZ AMADOR, bishop of Santa Clara.
Ecuador
Delegate: Archbishop Antonio ARREGUI YARZA, archbishop of Guayaquil.
Delegate: Archbishop Luis Gerardo CABRERA HERRERA, O.F.M., archbishop of Cuenca.
Alternate: Bishop Julio PARRILLA DÍAZ, bishop of Riobmba.
Alternate: Bishop Marcos Aurelio PÉREZ CAICEDO, bishop of Babahoyo, vice president of the bishops' conference.
Honduras
Delegate: Bishop Luis SOLÉ FA, C.M., bishop of Trujillo.
Alternate: Bishop Ángel GARACHANA PÉREZ, C.M.F., bishop of San Pedro Sula.
Mexico
Delegate: Bishop AGUILAR MARTÍNEZ, bishop of Tehuacán.
Delegate: Cardinal Norberto RIVERA CARRERA, archbishop of México.
Delegate: Francisco Javier CHAVOLLA RAMOS, bishop of Toluca.
Delegate: Cardinal Francisco ROBLES ORTEGA, archbishop of Guadalajara, president of the bishops' conferece.
Alternate: Bishop Alfonso Gerardo MIRANDA GUARDIOLA, titular bishop of Idrica, auxiliary of Monterrey.
Alternate: José Francisco GONZÁLEZ GONZÁLEZ, bishop of Campeche.
United States of America
Delegate: Archbishop Joseph Edward KURTZ, archbishop of Louisville, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Archbishop Charles Joseph CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Philadelphia.
Delegate: Cardinal Daniel N. DI NARDO, archbishop of GalvestonHouston, vicepresident of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Archbishop José Horacio GÓMEZ, archbishop of Los Angeles.
Alternate: Archbishop Blase J. CUPICH, archbishop of Chicago.
Alternate: Archbishop Salvatore Joseph CORDILEONE, archbishop of San Francisco.
Uruguay
Delegate: Bishop Jaime Rafael FUENTES MARTÍN, bishop of Minas.
Alternate: Bishop Rodolfo Pedro WIRZ KRAEMER, bishop of MaldonadoPunta del Este, president of the bishops' conference.
ASIA
Pakistan
Delegate: Bishop Joseph ARSHAD, bishop of Faisalabad.
Alternate: Archbishop Sebastian Francis SHAW, archbishop of Lahore.
Vietnam
Delegate: Archbishop Paul BÙI V?N ?OC, archbishop of ThànhPhô Hô Chí Minh, Hôchiminh Ville, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Bishop Joseph ?INH ?ÚC ?AO, titular bishop of Gadiaufala, auxiliary of Xuân Lôc.
Alternate: Bishop Pierre NGUYÊN V?N KHAM, bishop of My Tho.
EUROPA
Albania
Delegate: Bishop George FRENDO, O.P., titular bishop of Butrinto, auxiliary of TiranëDurrës.
Alternate: Bishop Ottavio VITALE, R.C.I., Bishop of Lezhë, Lesh.
Austria
Delegate: Bishop of Benno ELBS, bishop of Feldkirch.
Alternate: Bishop Kalus KÜNG, bishop of Sankt Pölten.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Delegate: Bishop Tomo VUKŠI?, military bishop of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Alternate: Bishop Marko SEMREN, O.F.M., titular bishop of Abaradira, auxiliary of Banja Luka.
France
Delegate: Archbishop Georges PONTIER, archbishop ofMarseille, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Cardinal André VINGTTROIS, archbishop of Paris.
Delegate: Bishop JeanLuc BRUNIN, bishop of Le Havre.
Delegate: Bishop JeanPaul JAMES, bishop of Nantes.
Alternate: Bishop Olivier DE GERMAY, bishop of Ajaccio.
Alternate: Bishop Bruno FEILLET, titular bishop of Gaudiaba, auxiliary of Reims.
Great Britain (England and Wales)
Delegate: CardinalVincent Gerard NICHOLS, archbishop of Westminster, president of the episcopal conference.
Delegate: Peter John Haworth DOYLE, bishop of Northampton.
Alternate: Bishop Philip Anthony EGAN, bishop of Portsmouth.
Greece
Delegate: Bishop Fragkiskos PAPAMANOLIS, O.F.M. Cap., emeritus bishop of Syros, president of the bishops' conference.
Alternate: Archbishop Nikolaos FOSKOLOS, archbishop emeritus of Ath?nai.
Ireland
Delegate: Archbishop Diarmuid MARTIN, archbishop of Dublin.
Delegate: Archbishop Eamon MARTIN, archbishop of Armagh, president of the bishops' conference.
Alternate: Archbishop Kieran O'REILLY, S.M.A., Arcivescovo di Cashel.
Lithuania
Delegate: Cardinal Audrys Jouzas BA?KIS, archbishop emeritus of Vilnius.
Alternate: Rimantas NORVILA, bishop of Vilkaviškis.
Netherlands
Delegate: Cardinal Willem Jacobus EIJK, archbishop of Utrecht.
Alternate: Bishop Johannes Wilhelmus Maria LIESEN, bishop of Breda.
Spain
Delegate: Cardinal Ricardo BLÁZQUEZ PÉREZ, archbishop of Valladolid, president of the bishops' conference.
Delegate: Bishop Mario ICETA GAVICAGOGEASCOA, bishop of Bilbao.
Delegate: Archbishop Carlos OSORO SIERRA, archbishop of Madrid.
Alternate: Bishop Juan Antonio REIG PLÁ, bishop of Alcalá de Henares.
OCEANIA
Australia
Delegate: Bishop Daniel Eugene HURLEY, bishop of Darwin.
Delegate: Bishop Mark Benedict COLERIDGE, archbishop of Brisbane.
Alternate: Archbishop Philip Edward WILSON, archbishop of Adelaide.
New Zealand
Delegate: Bishop Charles Edward DRENNAN, bishop of Palmerston North.
Alternate: Cardinal John Atcherley DEW, archbishop of Wellington, president of the bishops' conference.
