Pope Benedict appoints a new bishop for Sri Lankan diocese of Chilaw

(19 Oct. 2006) : Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Warnakulasurya Valence Mendis as the Bishop of Chilaw diocese in Sri Lanka. He was already serving as a Coadjutor Bishop to the same diocese. Born in 1958, Fr. Mendis was ordained a priest in 1985 and ordained a Bishop of Chilaw on 2^nd April 2005. On the same day, Pope Benedict accepted the resignation from Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando, who resigned after reaching the age-limit of 75 year in conformity with canon 401 of the Code of Canon Law. Bishop Fernando was born in 1931 and ordained a priest in 1956. He was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Colombo in 1965 and succeeded bishop of Chilaw on 27^th December 1972.