Pope Francis Accepts Retirement of the Bishop of Yendi in Ghana, Appoints Successor

Yendi, 03 June, 2022 / 9:00 PM

Pope Francis has accepted the retirement of Bishop Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai of the Catholic Diocese of Yendi in Ghana and appointed his successor.

In the latest administrative changes published Friday, June 3 by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father appointed Mons. Matthew Yitiereh as the successor of Bishop Boi-Nai.

Bishop-elect Yitiereh is expected to succeed 77-year-old member of the Society of Divine Word (SVD) who has been at the helm of the Ghanaian Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in July 1999.

Until his appointment, Mons. Yitiereh has been serving as Vicar General of his native Archdiocese of Tamale in Ghana.

The 61-year-old Bishop-elect was ordained a Priest in July 1995.

After his Priestly ordination, the Bishop-elect served in various capacities including, Parish Priest of Holy Spirit in Chamba (1995-1997) and Saints Peter and Paul (1998-2003), as well as Director of Diocesan youth ministry (1998-2003). 

He obtained Master’s degree in Theology with specialization in pastoral liturgy from Ireland in 2004. 

The Bishop-elect went on to serve as master of Diocesan celebrations and chairman of the administration board of Tamale Institute of Cross-Cultural Studies (2004), and administrator of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Tamale (2004-2015).

He also served as president of the Tamale Archdiocese Priests' Association from 2015 before his appointment as Vicar General in 2016 and Parish Priest of the Blessed Sacrament Church.

Once ordained as the second Bishop of Yendi, Mons. Yitiereh is expected to oversee the Ghanaian Diocese that measures 19,160 km² with an estimated population of 46,300 Catholics, representing 5.3 percent of the population, according to 2020 statistics.