Advertisement

Burkina Faso’s Koupéla Archdiocese to Have A New Shepherd: Papal Transfer

Archbishop-elect Gabriel Sayaogo of Koupéla

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Gabriel Sayaogo, who has been the Local Ordinary of Burkina Faso’s Manga diocese, the new Archbishop of Koupéla, an Archdiocese in the Eastern region of the West African country where Archbishop Séraphin François Rouamba has been the Shepherd.

“The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the Archdiocese of Koupéla, Burkina Faso, presented by His Excellency Séraphin François Rouamba,” reads in part the December 7 message from the Holy See Press Office.

The message made public the appointment of “Bishop Gabriel Sayaogo of Manga as Archbishop of the same metropolitan see,” a Papal transfer within the landlocked country with 12 dioceses across three Ecclesiastical Provinces.

Ordained a priest in 1991, the Archbishop-elect who is set to celebrate his 58th birthday in January has been Bishop since April 2011.

He holds a doctorate in Canon Law obtained from the Pontifical Urban University in 2001.

Advertisement

Before his appointment as Bishop of Manga diocese, the Burkinabe Prelate had served as Apostolic Administrator of the same diocese since 2008.

The Archbishop-elect is the Vice-President of the Bishops' Conference of Burkina Faso and Niger. He led the Burkinabe delegation to the 2019 Worth Youth Day (WYD) in Panama.

Archbishop-elect Sayaogo who will continue to head the diocese of Manga as Apostolic Administrator is set to succeed 77-year-old Archbishop Rouamba whose tenure in Koupela Archdiocese started in October 1995.

The Archdiocese is headquartered in Koupela, a city located 140 km East of the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. It was the home to the White Father in the country since 1900 and was erected a diocese in February 1956 by Pope Pius XII. It became an Ecclesiastical Province and a Metropolitan Archdiocese in 2000.

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.