Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
6 January 2009
In the closing days of 2008 and in the New Year, Pope Benedict XVI has appointed 5 new bishops in different African nations.
The Pope appointed Fr. Vicente Carlos Kiaziku, O.F.M. Cap., as bishop of Mbanza Congo in Angola. The bishop-elect was born in Kimacaka-Bamba in 1957, and made his final vows in 1984. He was ordained a priest in 1985. He was previously councillor general of his order.
The pope made two appointments in Ivory Coast. Bishop Jean-Jacques Koffi Oi Koffi, former bishop of Abengourou, was named the new bishop of the Diocese of San Pedro. The diocese has 1.2 million people, of whom 71,000 are Catholic. It is served by 52 priests and 45 religious.
Bishop Jean Salomon Lezoutie, previously bishop of Odienne, was moved to Yopougon as coadjutor bishop. There are slightly over half-a-million Catholics in Yopougon.
Benedict also made two appointments in South Africa. He named Fr. Jan de Groef, M. Afr., a member of the formation staff for the White Fathers in the archdiocese of Durban, as bishop of Bethlehem. The bishop-elect was born in Belgium in 1948 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1979. He succeeds Bishop Hubert Bucher, who has retired.
The pope named Fr. Stanislaw Jan Dziuba, O.S.P.P.E. bishop of Umzimkulu, which has over 150,000 Catholics. The bishop-elect, formerly vicar general of the same diocese, was born in Poland 1960 and ordained to the priesthood in 1986.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Catholic Information Service for Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
