The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis has named Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta as head of the eparchy of Saint Peter Apostle of San Diego of the Chaldeans, pulling him from his prior post in Canada.
Bishop Shaleta has until now served as Bishop of the Mar Addai Eparchy of Toronto. Announced in an Aug. 9 communique from the Vatican, his appointment to San Diego came alongside the nomination of Bishop Frank Kalabat, who oversees the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit, as apostolic administrator for the Toronto eparchy.
Born in Fishkabour-Zakho, Iraq Nov. 12, 1956, Bishop Shaleta speaks Chaldean, Arabic, Italian and English, and is familiar with Assyrian, Kurdish, French and German, as well as Latin, Hebrew and Greek.
The Eparchy of San Diego was established in 2002 by St. John Paul II, who at that time accepted the Chaldean Synod’s election of Fr. Sarhad Jammo as the first bishop for the St. Peter the Apostle diocese.
In total, the eparchy covers 17 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
Love the Chaldean liturgy. Although I am a Roman Catholic, I used to attend the Chaldean liturgy many years ago when the services were held at Santa Sophia Church in Spring Valley, California. God Bless the Bishop in his new assignment. There are many Chaldean Catholics now living in Southern California, particularly in El Cajon.