His early priesthood included service as a Formator at the Minor Seminary in Rungu and Professor and spiritual director at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Philosophy Saint Augustine, Kisangani.
The alumnus of the Pontifical Urban University in Rome where he obtained a Doctorate in Missiology also held the position of Vicar General of the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara and later served as the Diocesan Administrator.
Bishop Madrapile Tanzi has served as Chaplain for the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence, Don Guanella’s Work, in Rome, and also as Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Pontifical Urban University.
Pope Francis’ transfer of Bishop Madrapile Tanzi from Isangi to Isiro-Niangara is in line with the tradition of the Catholic Church, where the Holy Father appoints Prelates to other ecclesial territories in the form of transfers.
Historically, the practice of transferring Bishops from one ecclesiastical jurisdiction to another was discouraged by early Church councils.
The 325 First Council of Nicaea and the 451 Council of Chalcedon both decreed such transfers as illegal. Canon 15 of Nicaea declared, "neither bishops nor presbyters [priests] nor deacons shall transfer from city to city."
The Council of Chalcedon, in its Canon 6, reaffirmed this teaching, stressing the need for Bishops to remain within their original ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
Despite these early restrictions, the modern Catholic Church has adapted its practice, allowing the Pope to transfer Bishops to fulfill the needs of different dioceses. The appointment of Bishop Madrapile Tanzi to the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara reflects this ongoing tradition.
Once installed, Bishop Madrapile Tanzi will become the ninth Local Ordinary of the Congolese Diocese which measures 60,000 Square Kilometers with a population of 958,255 Catholics representing 67.4 percent of the total population in the Diocese, according to 2021 statistics.
The Diocese that is part of the ecclesiastical province of Kisangani was erected in December 1911 as the Prefecture Apostolic of Eastern Uélé {Uélé Orientale} before being elevated to a diocese in November 1959.
