Pope Francis Appoints Pioneer Bishop for Kenyan New Diocese, New Archbishop in Madagascar

The newly erected Kenyan Diocese measures 8,009 square kilometers and has a population of 987,653 of which 388,946 are Catholic faithful, representing 39.38 percent of the total population of the territory of the Diocese, according to the Holy See report.

Bishop Kariuki, the pioneer Bishop of the new Diocese, who has been at the helm of Embu Diocese since July 2009 when he started his Episcopal Ministry was ordained a Priest of the same Kenyan Diocese in January 1993.

The 60-year-old Kenyan Catholic Bishop also serves as the Chairman of the Commission for Education and Religious Education (CERE) of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB).

After his installation, Bishop Kariuki is to oversee the newly erected Kenyan Diocese, which starts off with 31 Parishes, 90 Diocesan Priests, nine Religious Priests, 36 Major Seminarians and 732 Catechists, as well as 200 educational institutions, according to the July 22 Holy See report.

Meanwhile, in the July 22 administrative changes, Pope Francis also appointed Bishop Bombín as the Local Ordinary of Toliara Archdiocese in Madagascar, after accepting the retirement of 77-year-old Archbishop Rabeony, who has been at the helm of the Malagasy Archdiocese since December 2003.

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The member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), who was ordained a Priest in August 1976 was appointed Bishop of Toliara Diocese in April 1990 and ordained Bishop in November of the same year. 

He was appointed Archbishop when the Malagasy Diocese was elevated to a Metropolitan See in December 2003.

Born in September 1960 in Spain, Bishop Bombín, the successor of Archbishop Rabeony was ordained a Priest of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (OSST) in March 1987.

The Archbishop-elect was appointed Bishop of Tsiroanomandidy in October 2003 and ordained in February 2004, a position he served until February 2017 when he was appointed Bishop of Maintirano Diocese.

In November 2018, Bishop Bombín was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Mahajanga until February 2023 when a new Local Ordinary took possession of the Malagasy Diocese.

Once installed, the Archbishop-elect will be the fourth Local Ordinary of the Archdiocese which measures 43,570 square kilometers with a population of 174,340 Catholics, representing 14.1 percent of the total population of the territory of the Archdiocese, according to 2020 statistics.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.