Pre-Pope John Paul II Bishops

Bishop Joseph Willy Romélus (of Jérémie, Haïti) recently retired after 32 years of service in that post - he had been named by Pope Paul VI on 26 Apr 1977.

Which brings up the question: How many active bishops were appointed to their current post before Pope John Paul II became Pope?

The answer is Forty One (now 36) ordinaries and Six (now 5) auxiliary bishops.

The ordinaries are: (Date of Appointment, Date of Birth, Name, Title)

• 24 Mar 1944, 12 Oct 1906, Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho of P’yong-yang, Korea (South)
  (Originally named Vicar Apostolic, Elevated to Bishop on 10 Mar 1962)
  
• 23 May 1966, 12 Apr 1919, Archbishop Hovhannes Tcholakian of Istanbul (Armenian), Turkey
  
• 13 Jul 1967, 26 Oct 1930, Bishop Joseph B. Willigers, M.H.M. of Jinja, Uganda
  
• 26 Jun 1970, 3 Oct 1933, Bishop Gonzalo López Marañon, O.C.D. of San Miguel de Sucumbíos, Ecuador
  (Originally named Prefect, Elevated to Vicar Apostolic on 2 Jul 1984)
  
• 30 Jul 1972, 17 Apr 1935, Bishop Michael Patrick Olatunji Fagun of Ekiti, Nigeria
  
• 13 Apr 1973, 16 Jun 1936, Anthony Olubunmi Cardinal Okogie, Archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria
  (Elevated to Cardinal on 21 Oct 2003)
  
• 13 Apr 1973, Nov 1934, Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun of Oyo, Nigeria
  
• 25 Jun 1973, 11 Dec 1936, Archbishop Nikólaos Fóscolos of Athenai {Athens}, Greece
  
• 26 Nov 1973, 7 May 1937, Bishop Nestorius Timanywa of Bukoba, Tanzania
  
• 24 Jan 1974, 29 Dec 1937, Bishop Joseph Bolangi Egwanga Ediba Tasame of Budjala, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
  Resigned on 22 Oct 2009
  
• 1 May 1974, 15 Mar 1939, Archbishop Hanna Zora of Archbishop of Ahwaz (Chaldean), Iran
  
• 27 Jun 1974, 5 Dec 1936, Bishop Franghískos Papamanólis, O.F.M. Cap. of Syros e Milos and Santorini {Thira}, Greece
  
• 1 Jul 1974, 13 Oct 1933, Bishop Erwin Hecht, O.M.I. of Kimberley, South Africa
  
• 7 Sep 1974, 1935, Bishop Faustin Ngabu of Goma, Congo (Dem. Rep.)
  (Named Coadjutor 24 Apr 1974, Succeeded to the See on 7 Sep 1974)
  
• 5 Oct 1974, 24 Jun 1938, Archbishop Felix Alaba Adeosin Job of Ibadan, Nigeria
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 26 Mar 1994)
  
• 12 Dec 1974, Sep 1937, Archbishop Anselme Titianma Sanon of Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 5 Dec 2000)
  
• 25 Apr 1975, 20 Jul 1931, Bishop Paul Nguyên Van Hòa of Nha Trang, Viêt Nam
  
• 2 Oct 1975, 19 Jan 1933, Bishop George Yod Phimphisan, C.SS.R. of Udon Thani, Thailand
  Retired 14 Nov 2009
  
• 2 Oct 1975, 10 Oct 1935, Bishop Joseph Devellerez Thaung Shwe of Pyay, Myanmar
  (Original name of diocese: Prome)
  
• 20 Nov 1975, 10 May 1942, Bishop Gilbert Guillaume Marie-Jean Aubry of Saint-Denis-de-La Réunion
  
• 4 Mar 1976, 25 Sep 1933, Bishop Ulises Aurelio Casiano Vargas of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
  
• 10 Apr 1976, 28 Apr 1933, Archbishop Petero Mataca of Suva, Fiji, Pacific (Oceania)
  
• 31 May 1976, 1 Mar 1935, Bishop Francis Folorunsho Clement Alonge of Ondo, Nigeria
  
• 28 Oct 1976, 12 Feb 1936, Archbishop Michael Kpakala Francis of Monrovia, Liberia
  (Originally named Vicar Apostolic, Elevated to Archbishop on 19 Dec 1981)
  
• 3 Dec 1976, 26 Nov 1936, Archbishop Jaime Pedro Gonçalves of Beira, Mozambique
  (Named Coadjutor 19 Dec 1975, Succeeded to the See on 3 Dec 1976, elevated to Archbishop on 4 Jun 1984)
  
• 9 Dec 1976, 12 Dec 1937, Bishop John Mulagada of Eluru, India
  Died 15 Aug 2009
  
• 1 Feb 1977, 31 Oct 1938, Bishop Howard James Hubbard of Albany, New York, USA
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 5 Aug 1937, Archbishop Hieronymus Herculanus Bumbun, O.F.M. Cap. of Pontianak, Indonesia
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 15 May 1933, Bishop Gratian Mundadan, C.M.I. of Bijnor (Syro-Malabarese), India
  Retired 14 Aug 2009
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 13 Sep 1936, Bishop George Punnakottil of Kothamangalam (Syro-Malabarese), India
  
• 26 Feb 1977, 25 Sep 1940, Bishop Jean-Claude Bouchard, O.M.I. of Pala, Chad
  
• 4 Mar 1977, 4 Dec 1934, Bishop Frederick D'Souza of Jhansi, India
  
• 30 May 1977, 20 Mar 1937, Bishop Anthony Lee Kok Hin of Miri, Malaysia
  
• 25 Jun 1977, 8 Aug 1932, Archbishop Alfons Nossol, Bishop of Opole, Poland
  (given the Personal Title of Archbishop on 12 Nov 1999)
  Retired 14 Aug 2009
  
• 10 Nov 1977, 11 Sep 1929, Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, O.M.I. of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho
  
• 27 Feb 1978, 23 Sep 1939, Bishop Armando Umberto Gianni, O.F.M. Cap. of Bouar, Central African Republic
  
• 27 Feb 1978, 5 Jul 1942, Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth of Kisumu, Kenya
  (Originally named Bishop, Elevated to Archbishop on 21 May 1990)
  
• 28 Feb 1978, 15 Aug 1937, Bishop Philip Sulumeti of Kakamega, Kenya
  
• 5 May 1978, 12 Jan 1939, Bishop Reinaldo Ernst E. (Heribert) Pünder of Coroatá, Maranho, Brazil
  
• 22 Jun 1978, 26 Jul 1934, Bishop James Pazhayattil of Irinjalakuda (Syro-Malabarese), India
  
• 12 Sep 1978, 8 Jun 1936, Bishop Joseph Dao of Kayes, Mali
  

and the Auxiliaries:

• 28 Nov 1967, 10 Oct 1929, Bishop José Ramiro Pellecer Samayoa, Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala and Titular of Teglata in Proconsulari
  
• 20 Nov 1973, 10 Jan 1935, Bishop Pawel Socha, C.M., Auxiliary Bishop of Zielona Góra-Gorzów, Poland and Titular of Thunigaba
  (Original name of Diocese was Gorzów)
  
• 23 Dec 1974, 19 Mar 1932, Bishop Wladyslaw Bobowski, Auxiliary of Tarnów, Poland and Titular of Abernethia
  Retired 20 Oct 2009
  
• 12 Jul 1975, 7 Sep 1930, Bishop Roland Aboujaoudé, Auxiliary of Antiochia {Antioch} (Maronite), Lebanon and Titular of Arca in Phoenicia dei Maroniti
  
• 28 Nov 1977, 25 Nov 1936, Bishop Kenneth Donald Steiner, Auxiliary of Portland in Oregon, USA and Titular of Avensa
  
• 28 Feb 1978, 13 Feb 1935, Bishop Peter Anthony Rosazza, Auxiliary of Hartford, Connecticut, USA and Titular of Oppidum Novum
  

Bishop Francis Hong Yong-ho was named by Pope Pius XII. Although he is still officially listed as "missing" it seems unlikely that he remains alive.

Bishop Joseph Dao was named by Pope John Paul I.

All of the others were named by Pope Paul VI.

You'll notice that many of them are at or near the retirement age. Before they do retire, let us take a moment to thank them for their many years of service!

Note: the original list accidentally excluded several bishops whose jurisdictions had either changed names or were elevated while they have been the ordinary.

(revised 14 Nov 2009)