Auxiliary Bishop of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso Appointed Local Ordinary of Manga Diocese

Ouagadougou, 16 June, 2022 / 8:45 PM

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Léopold Médard Ouédraogo as the new Local Ordinary of Manga Diocese in Burkina Faso.  

The appointment was published by the Holy See Press Office on Thursday, June 16. 

Manga Diocese became vacant in December 2019 following the transfer of Bishop Gabriel Sayaogo to the Archdiocese of Koupéla. Since then, the Diocese has been under the leadership of Bishop Sayaogo as the Apostolic Administrator. 

Bishop Ouédraogo who turned 69 on June 8 is an alumnus of St. Peter Claver Major Seminary Koumi. The of Burkina Faso’s Ouagadougou Archdiocese was ordained a Priest for his native Archdiocese on 30 June 1979.

As a Priest, Bishop Ouédraogo served as the Vicar General of Ouagadougou Archdiocese and lecturer at. Sts. Peters and Paul Major Seminary, among other responsibilities. 

In May 2012, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Ouagadougou and assigned him the Titular See of Sutunurca. He was ordained a Bishop in August 2012.

In 2020, following the Holy Mass of the opening the Year of St. Joseph in Ouagadougou Archdiocese, Bishop Ouédraogo called on husbands to emulate the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and make their families happy. 

"Take the example of St. Joseph who did not say to himself that: 'I am the head of the family and it is I who command,'" the Bishop said in an interview. 

Instead, the Bishop said, St. Joseph said, “I am the head of the family to protect my family, to help my children and my wife to flourish. So, I must be ready to do everything I can to help them get better, because God entrusted them to me as a sign of his friendship for me."

The Burkinabe Catholic Bishop said if men take care of their wives and children,  "families would be fulfilled." 

Once installed, Bishop Ouédraogo will serve as the third Local Ordinary of the Burkinabe Diocese that was erected in January 1997.

The Diocese that is part of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ouédraogo has a population of 168,088 Catholic, according to 2020 statistics.