Pope names new envoy to RI

JAKARTA: Pope John Paul II has appointed Don Albert Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige as the new Vatican Ambassador to Indonesia, replacing Renzo Fratini.

Patabendige is currently the Assistant Secretary of the Holy See's Congregation for Evangelization of the Peoples, a position he has filled since Oct. 1, 2001.

Born in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka, on Nov. 15, 1947, Patabendige was ordained a priest in 1975. Among other duties, he has been Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Sri Lanka and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. -- JP