ASIA/JAPAN - Appointment of Bishop of Oita

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, on 25 March 2011, appointed as Bishop of the Diocese of Oita (Japan), Fr Paul Sueo Hamaguchi, Parish Priest of the Cathedral of Takamatsu.
Fr Paul Sueo Hamaguchi was born on 1 August 1948, in Higashi Shutsu, parish of Shutsu, Diocese of Nagasaki. He attended middle and high school at Nanzan College in Nagasaki. He completed his studies at the St Sulpice Seminary of Fukuoka and was ordained a priest on 19 March, 1975, and appointed to the Diocese of Nagasaki. After his priestly ordination he held the following ministries: 1975-1978: assistant parish priest of Urakami; 1978-1984: assistant parish priest of Shutsu; 1984-1992: parish priest of Oso; 1992-2002: Rector of the Minor Seminary of Nagasaki; 2002-2005: parish priest of Fukue and Member of Council of Priests; since 2005: Transferred to the Diocese of Takamatsu, he was appointed Director of the diocesan office and parish priest of Komemeshima.
The Diocese of Oita, created in 1961, has an area of 14,071 sq km. and a population of 2,376,414 inhabitants, of whom 6,288 are Catholics. There are 26 parishes, 50 priests (14 diocesan and 36 religious), 228 sisters and 4 major seminarians. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 26/03/2011)