Ethiopia’s Gambella Vicar Apostolic First Bishop Known to Die of COVID-19

In Ethiopia, the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference (CBCE) announced the death of the Bishop, conveying “deep condolences to the Clergy, religious, bereaved family and the lay faithful in the Apostolic Vicariate of Gambella.”

The Secretary General, Fr. Teshome Fikre also assured the people of God in Ethiopia’s Gambella Vicariate “closeness and prayers” of CBCE President, “members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia and the entire Catholic Church in Ethiopia.”

“May his soul rest in peace,” Fr. Fikre concluded in his letter written on behalf of CBCE President, Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel, the Archbishop of Addis Ababa.

Bishop Moreschi dedicated his pastoral ministry to the service of the poor and young people of Ethiopia, earning him the title of Abba, meaning Father in the local dialect according to June 2012 media report. 

“In his mission as prefect and then as apostolic vicar, he continued to embody the Salesian focus in helping children, accompanying them by his practical spirit and his strong apostolic zeal,” the Salesians of Don Bosco have reported and added, “In his visits to the villages, they still remember when the Salesian arrived with a battered SUV - or by motorboat in the villages along the Baro river when the roads were flooded - and he immediately began to distribute multi-vitamin biscuits to malnourished children.”

Bishop Moreschi has died “after serving the young, the poor and his flock of souls as a Salesian for 46 years, as a priest for 38, and as a bishop for over 10.”

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of several at least 60 Catholic priests. Bishops who have been tested positive for the virus are reported be recovering.