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“No separations, only continuity”: Catholic Bishop in Angola on Transitioning to Recently Erected Diocese

The pioneer Local Ordinary of the recently erected Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Ganda, Bishop Estêvão Binga.
João Vissesse

By João Vissesse

Benguela, 09 October, 2024 / 10:25 pm (ACI Africa).

The pioneer Local Ordinary of the recently erected Angola’s Catholic Diocese of Ganda has assured the people of God of “continuity” with the country’s Catholic Diocese of Benguela, from which it was carved out.  

In his homily during a farewell Mass in the Diocese of Benguela where he has been serving as Auxiliary Bishop since his Episcopal Consecration in February 2022, Bishop  Estêvão Binga said that the Diocese of Benguela has the role of supporting the newly erected Diocese. 

“I am being sent to Ganda, but it is the entire Diocese of Benguela that is working to support the birth of the new Diocese of Ganda,” Bishop said during the October 6 Eucharistic celebration at Our Lady of Fatima of Beguela Diocese. 

The Angolan Catholic Bishop, who is set to be installed as Local Ordinary of Ganda Diocese emphasized, “There are no separations, only continuity, as God teaches us to accompany this movement.”

He appealed for prayers and blessings for the two Angolan Dioceses and urged the people of God to deepen their love for the Lord. 

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“Blessed are those who fear the Lord; but we must also learn to love Him. Jesus desires to touch and bless you through us, through the projects and pastoral activities we carry out,” Bishop Binga said.

He went on to appeal for the fostering of respectful and good relationships, and warned, “Without love, we risk becoming a society full of thieves, not only those who rob in the streets but also those who misuse public resources and fail as leaders and administrators.” 

“We can be poor stewards of both temporal and spiritual goods. True charity and love are essential for a better future,” the Angolan Catholic Bishop, who started his Episcopal Ministry in February 2022 following his November 2021 appointment said. 

He continued, “Fear the Lord, walk in His ways, and you will reap the fruits of your labor with honesty, intelligence, and faith.”

Born in Angola’s Catholic Archdiocese of Lubango in September 1966, Bishop Binga was ordained a Priest for the Diocese of Benguela in April 1996 after completing his Priestly studies and formation program at Bom Pastor (Good Shepherd) Seminary and the Cristo Rei Seminary in Huambo Diocese.

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As a Priest, he served in various capacities including Prefect of discipline in the Preparatory Seminary in Benguela Diocese, collaborator in the Parish of Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes, and President of the Diocesan Commission for Study and Refresher Courses and lecturer in various institutions of higher learning. 

Carved out from Benguela Diocese, Ganda Diocese has become one of the suffragan Dioceses in the Metropolitan See of Huambo.

The new Diocese measures 24.447 square kilometers. It has a population of 947.826 of which 633.636 are Catholic faithful, representing 66.9 percent of the total population of the territory of the Diocese, according to 2024 statistics.

João Vissesse

João Vissesse is an Angolan Journalist with a passion and rich experience in Catholic Church Communication and Media Apostolate. 

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