“I accept God’s choice”: New Coadjutor Bishop for Senegal’s Kolda Catholic Diocese on Appointment

“I return to Kolda, the land of my first steps as a Priest, which becomes, through the mystery of God’s ways, the land of my very first steps as a Bishop,” he says.

He warmly greets the people of Fouladou, Balantacounda, and Pakao, which he describes as “this beautiful space of diversity and rich cultural interaction.”

Emphasizing a collaborative vision of leadership, Mons. Badji reaffirmed his commitment to serve “in a spirit of synodality and co-responsibility.”

In his message, Bishop-elect extends an earnest invitation to all members of the Clergy, the lay faithful, women, and men Religious.

He encourages them to share “the mission and the pastoral responsibility, in a spirit of communion and participation.” 

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“I accept God’s choice”: New Coadjutor Bishop for Senegal’s Kolda Catholic Diocese on Appointment

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This vision, Mons. Badji says, is rooted in a synodal approach in which everyone is called to “respond with generosity and self-denial.”

As Coadjutor Bishop, he will assist Bishop Jean-Pierre Bassène, the current Local Ordinary of Kolda Diocese, who has been at the helm of the Diocese since his Episcopal Ordination in April 2000 and is to automatically succeed him upon the vacancy of the Senegalese Episcopal See, ensuring a smooth and orderly pastoral transition.

Born on 1 January 1966 in the Catholic Diocese of Ziguinchor, the Coadjutor Bishop elect was ordained a Priest on 28 December 1994 after completing his Priestly studies in Philosophy at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Saint Jean Marie Vianney of Brin and Theology at the Grand Séminaire François Libermann in Sebikhotane.

The holder of a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the Catholic University of West Africa (UCAO) in Abidjan has previously served as the Vicar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victories in Kolda, and as Formator and Professor in the Philosophy Cycle at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Saint Jean Marie Vianney of Brin.

Before being appointed to his current position as Rector of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Saint Jean Marie Vianney in Brin, he served as coordinator for the ongoing formation of Priests.

With the right to succeed Bishop Bassène, the Coadjutor Bishop-elect will serve as the immediate collaborator of the Senegalese Bishop in the Diocese, which measures 21,011 square kilometers and has a population of 35,930 Catholics, representing 2.8 percent of the total population, according to 2023 statistics.

After the succession of the incumbent Bishop, who has less than one year to attain the Canonical age of retirement, the Coadjutor Bishop-elect will become the second Local Ordinary of the Diocese that was erected on 22 December 1999.

His Episcopal Ordination is scheduled for April 11, the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. Mons. Badji’s Episcopal motto is “Humilitas Fiduciaque” (“Humility and Trust”).