Boma, 19 March, 2021 / 5:25 pm (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis has appointed the Rector of Abbé Ngidi Major Seminary for Philosophy in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mons. José-Claude Mbimbi Mbamba, as the Bishop of the country’s Boma Diocese.
In the Friday, March 19 announcement published by the Holy See Press office, the Holy Father also accepted the retirement of 77-year-old Bishop Cyprien Mbuka. The member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM) has been at the helm of the Diocese since March 2001.
Born in July 1962 in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa, the Bishop-elect was ordained a Priest of the Diocese of Boma in August 1988.
Since ordination, the holder of a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Tübingen in Germany served in various capacities, among them, Professor at the St. Francis Xavier Minor Seminary in Boma, Librarian and Vice-Rector at Abbé Ngidi Major Seminary for Philosophy, and Rector of the St. Augustine’s University in Kinshasa.
In his native Diocese of Boma, the Bishop-elect served as the Personal Secretary of the Auxiliary Bishop of Boma, Priest-in-charge of the initial formation of Major Seminarians, and as the Diocesan Secretary and Chancellor.