Durban, 17 February, 2021 / 5:56 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis has appointed the Archbishop of Durban in South Africa, Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Eshowe.
The President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), Bishop Sithemebele Sipuka, announced Cardinal Napier’s appointment in a statement published Tuesday, February 16.
Eshowe, which lies within the Ecclesiastical Province of Durban, became vacant after the Holy Father transferred Bishop Xolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo to South Africa’s Diocese of Witbank in November 2020.
In his message, Bishop Sipuka says Cardinal Napier’s appointment as the Apostolic Administrator of Eshowe is an “added responsibility” that comes immediately after the demise of his Coadjutor, Archbishop Abel Gabuza who succumbed to COVID-19-related complications last month.
“We wish him well and assure him of our prayers and support,” the SACBC President says, addressing himself to the South African Cardinal.
