Pope Francis Appoints Local Ordinaries for Two Catholic Archdioceses in Congo Brazzaville

Elevated from a Diocese to an Archdiocese in May 2020, the Catholic Archdiocese of Pointe-Noire comprises two suffragan Dioceses: Dolisie and Nkayi.

It measures 14,644 square kilometers and has an estimated Catholic population of 1,007,440, according to 2021 statistics.

In the January 6 Papal appointments, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Gélase Armel Kema of Congo Brazzaville’s Ouesso Diocese as the Archbishop of Owando Archdiocese.

Bishop Kema has been serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Congolese Metropolitan See since his appointment in August 2023.

Born in October 1972, the Archbishop-elect was ordained a Priest in August 1999 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at the Theological Institute of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.

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He was appointed Local Ordinary of Ouesso Diocese in December 2021.

The alumnus of the Rome-based Pontifical Urbaniana University where he obtained his Licentiate and Doctorate in Canon Law also taught Canon Law at Cardinal Emile Biayenda Inter-Diocesan Theological Seminary in the Archdiocese of Brazzaville.

Elevated to a Metropolitan See in May 2020, the Archdiocese of Owando has two suffragan Dioceses: Impfondo and Ouesso.

It measures 74,850 square kilometers with an estimated Catholic population of 355,120, according to 2021 statistics.

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.