Pope Francis Appoints Auxiliary Bishops in DR. Congo, Apostolic Vicar in Libya

As a Priest, the Bishop-elect with specialization in spirituality at the Institute for Religious Formation of St. Louis (Missouri), USA, has served in various capacities, including Rector of the Inter-diocesan Major Seminary of Bangui in DRC.

Outside the Central African nation, Mons. Tsimba has served as Parish Vicar at S. Michel de l'Attalaye, Diocese of Les Gonaïves, Haiti; Novice Master, Animator of Vocations, and responsible for internships of CICM members in Haiti.

He has also served as Vice President for the Formation of Consecrated Persons in Haiti; General Councilor of CICM. 

The Congolese Bishop-elect presided over the Association of Superiors General of the Service of Documentation and Research on Global Mission (SEDOS).

Mons. Edouard Isango Nkoyo

Mons. Isango was born in April 1973 in the Archdiocese of Kinshasa. He was ordained a Priest for the same Archdiocese in August 2002 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at San André Kaggwa Seminary, and St. Jean XXIII Major Seminary, in Kinshasa, respectively.

The alumnus of the Catholic University of Kinshasa where he obtained a Licentiate in philosophy. He had his doctoral research at the Philosophy Faculty of Munich and pastoral service in the Archdiocese of Munich in Germany.

As a Priest, Mons. Isango has served in various capacities, including Parish Vicar of Saint Luc, Kinshasa; Vice Rector and then Rector of St. Andrew Kaggwa Major Seminary; and Chancellor Secretary of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa.

Outside DRC, the Bishop-elect has served as Parish Vicar of St. Georg in Wasserburg, in the Diocese of Augsburg in German.

Once consecrated Bishops, the two Congolese Priests are to join Bishop Charles Ndaka Salabisala, bringing the number of auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese to three. 

The three are to assist the 63-year-old Archbishop of Kinshasa, Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, who has been at the helm of the Archdiocese since November 2018.

Erected in November 1886 as Vicariate Apostolic of Two Guineas {Des Deux Guinées}, Kinshasa was elevated to an Archdiocese in May 1966.

The Congolese Archdiocese, which measures 8,500 square kilometers has a population of 7,253,356 Catholics, representing 59.2 percent of the total population of the territory of the Archdiocese, according to 2021 statistics.

Mons. Sandro Overend Rigillo

Meanwhile, in the latest administrative changes published Sunday, July 16 by the Holy See press office, Pope Francis appointed Mons. Overend, currently serving as the Apostolic Administrator of the Vicariate Apostolic of Benghazi, the Apostolic Vicar for the same Libyan Vicariate.

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Born in May 1959 in the Catholic Archdiocese of Malta, Mons. Overend was ordained a Priest of Order of Friars Minor (OFM) in June 1984 after completing his philosophical and theological studies at the National Institute of Ecclesiastical and Religious Studies in Malta and the Antonianum Theological Institute in Bologna, Italy, respectively.

The Alumnus of the Rome-based Augustinian Patristic Pontifical Institute where he obtained a Licentiate in Theology and Patristic Sciences has previously served as Assistant Pastor of Our Lady of Sacred Heart Parish in Sliema and Spiritual Director in the Maltese state schools.

He served as Vice Rector and then Rector of the International College for Franciscan Students at the Antonianum in Rome; OFM Secretary General; visiting lecturer of Patristics at the University of Malta; and OFM Minister of the Province of Malta.

The Maltese Cleric has also served as confessor at the Shrine of Gethsemane, Jerusalem; Visitator General of the Franciscan Province of St. Casimir in Lithuania; Guardian of the General Curia of the OFM. and Delegate of OFM Minister General for the Franciscan Missions in Libya.

Mons. Overend becomes the sixth Vicar Apostolic of the Libyan Vicariate, which measures 757,000 square-kilometer with 515 Catholics representing less than 1 percent of the total population of the territory of the Vicariate, according to 2020 statistics.