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At Consecration, Pioneer Bishop for Recently Erected Catholic Diocese in Guinea Urged to Be “model of uprightness”

Robert Cardinal Sarah has called upon the pioneer Bishop for the newly erected Catholic Diocese of Boké in Guinea to manifest “uprightness” in his Episcopal Ministry.

In his homily during the Monday, April 29 Episcopal Ordination of Mons. Moïse Tinguiano, Cardinal Sarah said that his mission as Bishop requires that he is “like the prophet Moses, for the task of founding a Diocese is a work of salvation, a mission to be undertaken with great humility.”

“Be a model of uprightness without tolerating moral misconduct,” the Guinean-born Cardinal told the Bishop-elect for the Catholic Diocese that was erected on February 22.

He added, “The main mission of a Bishop is to exercise his teaching function in the Church, to people of all races and cultures, and to organize the mission of evangelization.” 

“Let the word of God enlighten your life and your speech; be a wise and sober man in an attitude of prayer and contemplation,” the Cardinal who, until his retirement in February 2021, was serving as Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said.

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He emphasized the important place of prayer in the life of believers, saying, “Prayer cleanses our lives, our human relationships, and pulls back the mask from our faces damaged by resentment and sin.”

Cardinal Sarah described the mission of the Bishop-elect as “difficult but exalting mission, one that requires all of you to take off the sandals of dust-covered feet.”

“True prayer is a fight, a real struggle, a real face-to-face encounter with God,” Cardinal Sarah further said, and implored, “May God complete in you what He has begun.”

Born in December 1977, Bishop Tinguiano was ordained a Priest in 2006 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at the Saint Augustin Samayah Major Seminary in Bamako, Mali.

Since his Priestly ordination, the newly Consecrated Bishop served in various capacities, including Parish Vicar of Cristo-Re in Fria and Parish Priest of Sacred Heart and Saint Peter in Sangaredi.

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The alumnus of the Salesian Pontifical University where he obtained a doctorate in catechetical theology and youth pastoral ministry has also carried out pastoral activity in the Diocese of Vittorio Veneto in Italy and the Diocese of Città del Castello in Italy.

The newly erected Guinean Diocese measures 27,908 square kilometers and has a population of 1,153,909 of which 10,225 are Catholic faithful, representing 0.88 percent of the total population of the territory of the Diocese, according to the Holy See report.

The Diocese has 6 Parishes, 11 Diocesan Priests, and one religious Priest, according to the February 22 Holy See report.

In his speech during the April 27 event, the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Conakry said the creation of the Diocese of Boké and the appointment of its first bishop is an “occasion of immense joy for everyone.”

“We owe this joy to our father, Pope Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Vincent Coulibaly said, adding, “Every Bishop must take into account the recommendations of Pope Benedict XVI.”

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In his maiden speech following his Episcopal Ordination, Bishop Tinguiano pledged to fulfill his mission faithfully, under the Authority of the Successor of Peter.

He promised to practice kindness towards the people of God with the grace of God.

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.